Timothée Chalamet: I Hate Losing, Want My Oscar

Timothée Chalamet, 30, has become no stranger to coming up short at awards shows. From Oscars to Golden Globes to BAFTAs, he’s lost more times than most actors will ever have in their entire careers. Most recently, he missed out on the Best Actor Oscar for “A Complete Unknown,” though he did take home a SAG Award for the performance and his speech, in which he stated his strive to become “one of the greats,” was misguidedly criticized by some.

Yet, despite the losses, he keeps returning to the Oscar conversation. He’ll likely earn another Best Actor nomination come next year for “Marty Supreme.” That said, Chalamet doesn’t hide his ambitions. A recent Vogue interview has caused quite the stir online, for the dumbest of reasons. In it, he acknowledges that he hates losing and is unafraid to admit he wants to win.

If there’s five people at an awards show, and four people go home losing, you don’t think those four people are at the restaurant like, ‘Damn, we didn’t win?'. I’ve been around some deeply generous, no-ego actors, and maybe some of them are going, ‘That was fun.’ But I know for a fact a lot of them are going, ‘Fuck!’

As for any of the detractors who will criticize his comments:

Call me a try-hard if you want. I’m the one actually putting in the work

Chalamet’s critics are saying that he comes across as a bit self-aggrandizing and intense about the process, and that’s rubbed them the wrong way. Most actors temper disappointment with a polite shrug, but Chalamet has no problem saying he outright wants to win.

And he’s right: wanting something and going after it relentlessly is far more impressive than standing back quietly. Ambition is something to strive for. Sure, you can also say that he should be a little more humble, but there’s nothing wrong with being forthright and blatantly honest—especially as an artist.

With “Marty Supreme” on the horizon, there’s little doubt Chalamet will be back in the awards conversation soon. Chalamet’s ultimate goal—an Oscar—is out in the open, but what’s more compelling is his drive to test himself as an artist. He’s focused not on playing it safe but on creating work that challenges him, and I love that. Greatness is something any artist should strive for.

I had my doubts about Chalamet during the start of his career — was “Call Me By Your Name” a fluke? Nope. It sure wasn’t. His consistency has continued, including stellar turns in “Lady Bird,” “Little Women,” “Dune,” and “A Complete Unknown.” Even when I interviewed him in 2018 for one of his lesser films, “Beautiful Boy,” Chalamet remained intensely proud of the work.

If Chalamet falls short again this season, although he’s currently the de facto frontrunner to win, it’s hardly the end of the story. There’s “Dune: Part Three,” a James Mangold-directed motocross project, and undoubtedly other future roles that will push him further. So, Timmy, keep chasing excellence. A trophy might come eventually, or it might not—but what you’re building towards is far more valuable: becoming a better artist.