Timothée Chalamet is set to return to the big screen with musical fantasy Wonka later this month. He will portray the titular character, shedding light on the life of a young Willy Wonka and how he came to meet the Oompa-Loompas.
The fact he has bagged such an iconic role at this juncture of his career highlights the impressive strides he has taken in his short career in Hollywood. Still only 27, Chalamet has already delivered plenty of engrossing performances and has shown remarkable judgment with respect to his choice of roles. However, there is one stint that he’s supposedly not very proud of, so much so that he decided to not profit from it at all.
Why Timothée Chalamet Donated His Entire Salary From Woody Allen Movie
Timothée Chalamet starred in the 2019 romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York as Gatsby Welles, who decides to go on a romantic weekend to show his girlfriend Ashleigh (Elle Fanning) around the city.
As far as his own performance is concerned, Chalamet was yet again brilliant. However, the fact the movie was directed by Woody Allen made things sour for the actor. Once an esteemed filmmaker, Allen has found himself on the wrong end of serious allegations, leading to him largely remaining away from the Hollywood limelight.
Accordingly, Chalamet’s decision to work with him also directed a few tough questions in his path. The Oscar nominee hasn’t been able to explain his decision “because of contractual obligations.” However, he did manage to calm a few of his fans by announcing that he has no desire to profit from A Rainy Day in New York. He told The Guardian:
“I have been asked in a few recent interviews about my decision to work on a film with Woody Allen last summer. I’m not able to answer the question directly because of contractual obligations. But what I can say is this: I don’t want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn [the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network].”
Collaborating with Allen was certainly not the smartest move for Chalamet’s image but by donating his entire salary he did manage to steady the ship. Since then, he has only gone from strength to strength, featuring in several high-profile movies, including Dune in 2021.
Why Steve Carell Had to Protect Timothée Chalamet During Filming of Beautiful Boy
The big reason behind Chalamet’s remarkable rise to stardom, apart from his acting prowess and charming appearance, is his dedication to immersing himself in his roles. However, for his role in Beautiful Boy, he lost so much weight that his co-star Steve Carell had to intervene.
Speaking with Emma Stone for Variety, he revealed that he lost up to 18 pounds to fit the description of his character, Nic Sheff. To achieve the goal he ate Snowpiercer goo. However, Carell got worried about his transformation.
“I could come on set, I would see Steve and his face would drop,” Chalamet said. “He told me one day, ‘No more.’ He’s like, ‘You can’t do it anymore.’ He pulled me aside because you realize that SAG protects a lot of things. My mom works for unions, so they’re so important, but you realize it’s also not somebody trying to be malicious. They’re just trying to get their day done and not going into overtime or whatever. Maybe that’s malicious. (Laughs)”
However, Chalamet’s hard work paid off and he earned a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2019 for Beautiful Boy.
