This year has been a big one for Timothée Chalamet, but a consistent pattern has been how 2021 movies poke fun at his distinctly un-muscular physique. Dune and The French Dispatch both premiered on October 22 to resounding success, proving Timothée Chalamet is box office gold. The actor has been at the top of Hollywood's darlings list for a few years now, and his reign doesn't seem to be ending any time soon.

Chalamet has had several huge roles in his time, with a noteworthy movie and TV career that goes back as far as 2012. His work as Elio in Call Me By Your Name stands as one of his most notable roles, for which he won numerous awards and was nominated for Golden Globe, Oscar, SAG, and BAFTA awards as well. Since then, Chalamet has starred in Beautiful BoyThe King, and Little Women, each of which has pushed his stardom to new heights. He's even been heralded as the savior of a bad-looking Willy Wonka prequel that's in the works with Chalamet in the titular role.

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For all his boyish appeal, however, there's one type of movie star magnetism Timothée Chalamet has yet to attain: muscles. A shredded physique is by no means required for actors to be considered attractive, though this has certainly helped the likes of Marvel stars Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. Rather, what's funny about Chalamet's slim frame is how both of his big films of 2021 have taken the opportunity to rib him for it.

In Dune, Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, heir to the dukedom of House Atreides. He's trained in combat to a degree, but it's not his primary focus. During an early scene in the film, Paul and Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho, who is a close friend of his, talk about Duncan's imminent departure for Arrakis and Paul's desire to go with him. During the scene, Duncan takes Paul's arm and notes that he's put on muscle. When Paul responds "really?" in surprise, Duncan immediately answers, "no." Given that Paul Atreides is also described as slim-built in the Dune books, this moment could be purely story-based, but it also ends up reading like a gentle poke at the young actor.

It's Chalamet himself who jokes about his build in The French Dispatch. He plays Zeffirelli, the passionate leader of a student revolution that revolves mostly around access to the girls' dormitory. Zeffirelli is one of the youngest of The French Dispatch's cast of characters, and twice mentions that he's shy about his "new muscles"—once to Frances McDormand's character when she walks in on him in the tub, and once to Lyna Khoudri's Juliette as the two share an intimate moment. Unlike in Dune, there's probably no reason for these comments other than to tease Chalamet, but he does seem to be in on the joke.

Though Chalamet's characters in Dune and The French Dispatch are quite different, they both showcase his acting ability well and are sure to bolster his already impressive track record. He may not be large physically, but he's still a big name in the movie business. Timothée Chalamet will likely grace many more films to come—and in fact he will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in Adam McKay's Don't Look Up later in 2021—even if his 2021 movies mock his lack of muscles.

Next: Timothee Chalamet's Willy Wonka Origin Must Avoid The Joker Obsession