Not winning an Oscar can do funny things to people. Look at Leonardo DiCaprio. He tried harder and harder with every successive loss until he eventually made The Revenant, the movie equivalent of getting punched in the face for likes on TikTok. Same with Lady Gaga, who reacted to losing for A Star Is Born by going so method for House of Gucci that she essentially lived as a Dolmio puppet for nine months.
And so we come to Timothée Chalamet. Now, on paper Chalamet doesn’t need to worry about winning an Oscar, because he played the lead in two films that were nominated for best picture. That’s a huge achievement, especially when you consider that those films – Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown – each appealed to wildly different audiences. Before that he made Wonka, which proved his chops in another field. Chalamet appeals to kids, sci-fi fans and people’s dads. He just needs to be announced as lead in a Bridget Jones reboot and he’ll have all four quadrants locked up forever. My point is that Chalamet doesn’t need an Oscar. He has already transcended awards.
