CULTURE

Timothée Chalamet Would Like to Know: Who Is Timothée Chalamet?

A philosophical discussion prompted the actor to get deep.


WM201906SHOW03.jpg
Photograph by Tim Walker/©Tim Walker Studio.

By the time that the press tour for Netflix’s upcoming film The King wraps, the Timothée Chalamet stans who’ve been practically raving for over a week now might have to be hospitalized. Somehow, the actor’s managed to multiply his already fully established reputation as a heartthrob, pulling moves like stepping out in Sterling Ruby overalls and a sparkly Louis Vuitton hoodie and buying bagels for the fans who waited for him outside of the movie’s New York premiere.

And yet, there’s still more in store. On Wednesday, Chalamet stopped by the BBC Radio 1’s studios. Once there, he made an appearance on an Overthinkers’ Hotline segment, meaning that the crew filmed his reactions to a handful of what host Nick Grimshaw described as “those weird thoughts you might have when you’re a little hungover, or tired and emotional, or in the shower or on a plane.”

Right off the bat, things got deep: “If our cells regenerate every 10 years, does that make me a different person to my younger self? Who am I?” Chalamet laughed, paused, and cobbled together a response. “I think Alison has made a strikingly insightful point,” he said. “Who are we if we’re continually reproducing internally? Who are we if our stomachs take care of digestion and bodily functions take care of themselves? Are we leading the ship, or is the ship leading us? Who knows?”

It might be unclear who Chalamet really is, but we do know that at one point, one form of Chalamet or another studied cultural anthropology for a year at Columbia University before letting his creative juices flow even more freely by enrolling at New York University’s infamous Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Clearly, he’s used to philosophically spitballing, and accepting that some of life’s greatest questions will never have answers. Such as: “Do cats lick us to get rid of the taste of their own backsides?”

Chalamet wasn’t too sure. “Whatever it is, it’s always a bummer for them,” he reflected. “I’ve never seen a cat lick anyone’s hand and go, ‘Oh, that was the right thing to do.’ It’s always steeped in deep regret and weeks of pensive sorrow.”

Related: Timothée Chalamet Distributed Bagels to His Fans at The King’s New York Premiere