The People Want To Know: Who Is This Timothée Chalamet Fellow?

A new Apple TV+ ad has people asking a foolish question: Who is Timothée Chalamet? The ad, which features Chalamet going to premieres and talking with his friends, is all about how Apple hasn’t called to cast him in something yet. They even have Jason Momoa (who is in the Apple shows See and the upcoming Chief of War) saying that every actor has an Apple TV+ something or other.

But not Chalamet. And apparently that’s because there are still people in this world who are surprised by him or question exactly who he is. How? Did you live under a rock for the last four years? How have you not seen Little Women? Anyway, that’s besides the point.

The point is that people watched Timothée Chalamet in this ad and wondered who he is … which honestly hurts my soul.

The question is not “who?” but why

Well, he’s an actor. He’s Paul Atreides in Dune and he’s been in things like Call Me By Your Name, Homeland, Bones and All, and Beautiful Boy. He’s done a lot, and if you scroll through IMDb you can pick an option and go with it. But you’d only be getting half of his appeal. Throughout his years in Hollywood, the reason that fans have flocked to Chalamet is because of his ability to say something hilarious or be part of some bit that just works so incredibly well that we can’t stop thinking about it.

To be clear: I’m talking about our cultural obsession with just how absolutely off the rails Chalamet can be. Specifically in his actual life. From making a rap video in high school about statistics to saying “societal collapse is in the air,” there’s something about him that just has us all fascinated.

It’s about the energy

Timothée Chalamet as an actor is one thing. He’s so good, it’s why he’s nominated for awards. But Timothée Chalamet the individual is the real draw for a lot of fans. For all of his relatively serious roles and performances, he seems to be kind of a goofball in real life. Prior to being famous, he made a video for school where he rapped about statistics for a class.

Be warned, this will be in your head for at least a week.

Then he went on Saturday Night Live and showed the world that he’s more than just a serious actor. He might be charming on screen, but he’s also hilarious and great at sketch comedy, too! Like this sketch called “Tiny Horse,” where he sings all about how much he loves a … well, tiny horse.

The point is that the question “who is Timothée Chalamet?” is two-fold. You have Timothée the actor and Timothée the person. They’re both great, but looking at them together is when you end up becoming obsessed with Timmy.

Trust me, I watch “Tiny Horse” at least twice a month and I have a shirt that says “I think it’s tough to be alive right now. I think societal collapse is in the air. You can smell it.” You either get on the Timmy train or it leaves you at the station.

(featured image: Jacopo Raule, GC Images)