Call Me By Your Name actor Timothée Chalamet has a sneaky cameo in the HBO miniseries We Are Who We Are - here’s where you can spot him. Co-created and directed by Luca Guadagnino, the premiere of We Are Who We Are followed Fraser Wilson (Jack Dylan Grazer) as he adjusted to life on an Italian military base. Far removed from the cheery and talkative sidekick Grazer portrayed in Shazam!, Fraser experiences a bit of difficulty accepting his new surroundings until he meets Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamon). The first two episodes of the drama focused extensively on the perspectives of the co-leads. But, as it has progressed, the show has widened its lens to examine the rest of the ensemble more closely.
Mainly centered on ideas of exploration and self-acceptance, We Are Who We Are has so far perfectly mirrored the mood of its two teenaged protagonists. It is, at once, urgent and nonchalant. The miniseries features moments of clear significance, such as Fraser’s exceptionally odd relationship with his mother, (played by Chloë Sevigny), as well as Caitlin’s discovery of her gender identity. But, more frequently, the plot moves at a languid pace. With his dreamy direction and relatively sparse use of dialogue, Guadagnino invites viewers to take note of the more visual aspects of storytelling: a change in a character’s tone, what a particular setting might mean for a scene, and how long the camera lingers on an expression. That approach might have helped fans to catch the super quick cameo by Chalamet, who played Elio in Guadagnino’s adaptation of Call Me By Your Name.
Chalamet appears in episode 3 of We Are Who We Are, which is titled “Right here, right now #3”. The actor pops up as a background extra, around the 28th minute of the episode, during a scene in which Caitlin’s father (played by Scott Mescudi) is doing some ironing. While it’s true that Chalamet walks in and out of the pretty fast, his yellow shirt is hard to miss once you’ve spotted it, as seen in the clip below:
The stealth guest role is sure to delight audiences for a number of reasons. Chalamet surged to global recognition, earning widespread acclaim for his turn as Elio in Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet’s cameo is also significant because he shows up in the same shot as Mescudi, who is better known by the stage name of Kid Cudi. In a recent interview with Esquire, Mescudi talked about his friendship with the actor and said he called Chalamet when he learned that he was cast in We Are Who We Are.
It’s understandable that some might have wanted a more significant role for Chalamet, though. There have been comparisons between Elio and Fraser, due to the shared setting between the miniseries and the hit 2017 film. Also, like Elio, Fraser seems to be harboring a crush on an older man. Going beyond those points of similarity, there’s the fact that Grazer played a younger version of Chalamet in Beautiful Boy. All of these factors would have made it interesting if Chalamet’s appearance was extended. Still, it’s probably for the best that the actor didn’t take up too much time on screen.
The miniseries has done an excellent job of highlighting its cast of mostly unknowns. The chemistry between Seamon and Grazer in particular has been a strong point of the show, as the pair radiate warmth and familiarity in their scenes, which will help to earn consideration for other projects going forward. It’s likely Chalamet’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it inclusion was intended as a fun easter egg. But it won’t be the only one. Armie Hammer, who starred alongside Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name, will reportedly appear in a future episode of We Are Who We Are.