Before the end of the year, Timothée Chalamet will take us to a world of pure imagination when he takes on the role of the world-famous chocolatier and candy maker, Willy Wonka, in Paul King’s upcoming movie, Wonka. A perfect choice for the part played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp in previous adaptations of Roald Dahl’s beloved and quirky character, Chalamet has more than a few performances under his belt that showcase all the ways in which he is perfect to take on such a well-known figure like Willy Wonka...
As part of our partnership with AMC Theatres, where you can now purchase tickets for IMAX screenings of Wonka, we’ve gone through Chalamet’s rather extensive filmography and picked a handful of performances that have us as excited for his turn as a kid finding a golden ticket hidden in a bar of chocolate.
The French Dispatch (2021)
Wes Anderson’s 2021 anthology comedy, The French Dispatch, features tremendous performances from the likes of Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, and other stars, including Timothée Chalamet, who appears in the delightful chapter titled, “Revisions to a Manifesto.”
This hilarious and impactful episode follows journalist Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) as she is sent to cover the “Chessboard Revolution,” a student revolt led in part by Zeffirelli (Chalamet), a romantic and existential youth who has one problem: he’s having trouble writing the group’s manifesto. With wild hair, a rather thin mustache, and a love of life, liberty, and rebellion, it’s hard to not get swept away by his presence. Though in over his head, Zeffirelli is a lightning rod, quite literally, and it’s a demonstration of Chalamet’s ability to find the balance between quirkiness and earnestness with a character.
Little Women (2019)
In Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Timothée Chalamet took on the role of Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, who’s a close friend of (and later proposes to marry) Jo March (Saoirse Ronan). Though the character had been played by the likes of Douglass Montgomery and Christian Bale in the 1933 and 1994 film versions respectively, Chalamet best captured the youthfulness, likeability, and joyful nature of the beloved Laurie.
There’s a scene very early on in the movie where Jo and Laurie have a splendid time at a party. While the rest of the guests dance and laugh about in a luxurious ballroom, the two free spirits have fun of their own while outside. Acting prim and proper when in front of windows looking into the party, the two frolic and trash about when hidden from view in one of the most cheerful and intoxicating scenes in the entire movie. If Chalamet can channel even an ounce of the charisma he had in Little Women, we’re in for a real treat with Wonka.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Though far more dramatic than his performances in The French Dispatch and Little Women, Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Elio Perlman in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name is a performance that has us excited for Wonka. This swirling and beautifully shot movie about forbidden love between a 17-year-old and a graduate student (played by Armie Hammer) shows a side of Chalamet that is both endearing and enchanting.
There are no song-and-dance numbers (though Sufjan Stevens’ “Mystery of Love” is a delight) and Chalamet plays a hopeless romantic dealing with his first love, but there’s something so pure, innocent, and exposed about his portrayal that is nothing short of magical. Like Willy Wonka, Elio is open to life and new experiences, no matter the cost.
A Rainy Day In New York (2019)
Numerous actors have played the “Woody Allen” character in the filmmaker’s various movies over the years, including Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris), John Cusack (Bullets Over Broadway), and Jesse Eisenberg (Cafe Society), in that they portray slightly humorous and exhaustingly neurotic protagonists. Another name on that list is Timothée Chalamet, who plays Gatsby Welles, a brainy, eccentric, and charming college student in A Rainy Day in New York.
Throughout the movie, Gatsby gets separated from his girlfriend (played by Elle Fanning) after she goes off to interview a famous director for the school paper and then stumbles into an actress (played by Selena Gomez), with whom he falls madly in love. Chalamet is captivating in his portrayal of a young hopeless romantic trying to find himself and true love in the Big Apple and has this tremendous sense of youth and electricity that carries much of the movie. Despite his flaws, of which there are many, it’s hard not to be enamored of his very person.
Lady Bird (2017)
Two years before appearing in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation, Timothée Chalamet had a supporting role in the filmmaker’s solo writing/directorial debut, Lady Bird. In the movie, which centers around Saoirse Ronan’s titular character, Chalamet takes on the role of her teenage crush, Kyle Scheible, a confident and somewhat mysterious popular kid at her Sacramento high school.
Yeah, he’s kind of a teenage dirtbag and isn’t as pure and innocent as initially appears, but Chalamet’s character is just so cool and mysterious it’s almost impossible to hate him. This isn’t to say Willy Wonka will be anything like that, but the chocolatier, like Kyle, has always had this element of mystery that adds so much depth to the various adaptations.
Beautiful Boy (2018)
Felix van Groeningen’s 2018 biographical drama, Beautiful Boy, centers on the tumultuous father-son relationship shared by David Sheff (Steve Carell) and Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet) and tells a heartbreaking yet uplifting story about addiction, redemption, and unconditional love between a parent and child. Based on the memoirs written by both the father and son, this endearing drama is full of highs and lows, and everywhere in between, all of which work to make this an unforgettable film.
This isn’t the happy-go-lucky Chalamet character like we’ve seen in the trailers and promotional material for Wonka, but it is still a role that has us excited to see what the actor does when playing one of Roald Dahl’s most famous characters. The dynamic range of the young actor and the way he handles himself in incredibly difficult situations is something to behold, to say the least.
Timothée Chalamet has proven time and time again that he is one of the most talented and versatile actors on the planet, and hopefully, this small sample of his work stands as a testament to that. If you’re like us, and even more excited about Wonka after revisiting these six performances, make sure to purchase your tickets at AMC Theatres, where the movie will be playing, starting December 15, 2023.
