Timothée Chalamet is building a resume that rivals that of Leonardo DiCaprio, paving the way for a career that could match that of the Oscar-winning A-lister. DiCaprio, currently 46 years old, began his career with commercials and TV projects, later appearing in independent features in supporting roles, before branching into leading roles, working with the likes of Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and many more. From there, DiCaprio graduated into more challenging and fruitful roles, creating one critical and commercial success after another, becoming a household name.
Chalamet, currently 25 years old, has charted a similar path as DiCaprio. He began his career doing TV shows, working his way up into smaller roles in independent features, and working with filmmakers like Woody Allen, Luca Guadagnino, Greta Gerwig, David Michôd, Wes Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve. Chalamet has worked with a multitude of today's top actors, including Matthew McConaughey, Saoirse Ronan, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, and, Leonardo DiCaprio in Don't Look Up.
Chalamet is hot on the heels of a career as fruitful as DiCaprio's, continuing to work with the best talent in Hollywood and choosing projects that diversify his repertoire, with roles that challenge and reinforce his status as a leading man. Cutting his teeth in early TV and indie projects has helped Chalamet develop as an actor, sharpening his skills and preparing him to take on meatier indie roles, as well as big-budget tentpole films. Chalamet has quickly become a recognizable face that continues to gain more and more notoriety as he works on projects that are consumed by big audiences, appealing not only to older fans but capturing the youthful viewers as well, just as DiCaprio did in the mid-90s. For the next generation of film-goers, Chalamet is on a trajectory that follows DiCaprio, who has several upcoming movies, making him the most likely to fulfill that role next.
Chalamet & DiCaprio Both Won Over Fans & Critics With Indie Projects
DiCaprio started to gain notoriety at age 19 for his performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? His talent was already recognizable at that point, and he continued to star in smaller indie fare that allowed him to stretch and grow into a young leading man. 1996's Romeo + Juliet showed DiCaprio's sex appeal as a romantic lead with his turn as the titular Romeo Montague alongside Clare Danes' Juliet, which led to him being cast in James Cameron's Titanic. His brilliant performance in the film altered his career path forever, and fans still remember DiCaprio's improvised "king of the world" Titanic quote, Similarly, Chalamet showed the same potential in 2017's Call Me By Your Name, a critical and commercial darling. From there, Chalamet played a variety of smaller, diverse roles, from Lady Bird to Hostiles to Beautiful Boy, all of which showed his immense talent as an actor, leading to his star-making turn in David Michôd's The King, which proved he was ready for the next step.
Chalamet & DiCaprio's Similar Boyish Charm, Good Looks & Romantic Lead Appeal
Winning the youth audience is essential for any young actor looking to make their mark in the industry. Older audiences can appreciate young talent but are often set in their ways as to who they like, having grown up with specific actors. Similarly, the young audience latches onto younger actors, as they're relatable and cut from the same mold as they are. This factor greatly affected DiCaprio's career playing movie characters. Leo's appeal was multi-faceted with younger viewers, factoring in sex appeal, as well as the overall likability factor, with all genders finding some level of appeal for the actor. Chalamet is in a similar place now, representing "new" Hollywood, a Millennial with boyish good looks and a drowsy charm that make him a relatable presence for the younger generation of film-goers.
Chalamet & DiCaprio Have Filmmaking Mentors
Another key aspect to Chalamet's path to DiCaprio-level stardom is that he's not only choosing varied projects to challenge and fit his abilities, but he's also going back to the well of success and working with proven filmmakers and filmmaking partners. DiCaprio's relationship with Martin Scorsese has followed a similar model, and the actor repeatedly works with filmmakers that make the most of his talent and help craft some of his best work. DiCaprio has done two films with director Baz Luhrmann, two films with Quentin Tarantino, and six films with Martin Scorsese. Chalamet is still in his early days, but he's just finishing up his second film with Luca Guadagnino (Bones & All), two films with Greta Gerwig, and will soon film Dune: Part Two for director Denis Villeneuve. As Chalamet continues his career, reaching back to that well (and beginning new partnerships with other filmmakers), will be a key strategy in his progression.
Where Should Chalamet Go Next To Fulfill DiCaprio's Legacy?
DiCaprio, once a skinny young man with boyish looks just like Chalamet, grew into a strong, chiseled, distinct actor, taking on roles that allowed him to expand beyond typecast hero roles. Leo DiCaprio's movie roles have included real-life and fictional characters, and he played to multiple genres, with parts in dramas, action, biography, sci-fi, and more. Chalamet, as well, is dipping his toe outside the trappings of a single genre, playing with comedy, drama, thrillers, and now sci-fi with Dune. Going forward, Chalamet will need to expand into more genres and challenge any notion of being typecast, while embracing projects that inspire him, be it indie fare or commercial films. The superhero genre will come knocking at some point, as will action and horror, all of which Chalamet can easily grow into, same as DiCaprio did. With the bricks being laid for a path to A-list superstardom, Timothée Chalamet simply needs to stay focused, diverse, and persistent in working with the best (and most reliable) talent he can, on the best material possible, which will continue to open the doors to a limitless career like Leonardo DiCaprio's.