Is Timothée Chalamet the new Leonardo DiCaprio?

Timothée Chalamet, reminiscent of early Leonardo DiCaprio, is carving his own path in Hollywood.

Between the blockbuster performance of Dune: Part 2 and getting nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet is ruling the game. The last actor to be this dominant at such a young age was Leonardo DiCaprio. Is Timothée following in Leonardo’s footsteps?

This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Timothée Chalamet in a scene from "A Complete Unknown." (Macall Polay/Searchlight Pictures via AP)(AP)

Early Career

This isn’t the first time this question has been asked. Ever since Chalamet’s breakout performance in Call Me By Your Name, he has reminded moviegoers of DiCaprio. A sensitive boyish personality backed by some serious acting chops, Chalamet’s early career was reminiscent of DiCaprio’s ascent. Leonardo got his first Oscar nomination for What’s Eating Gibert Grape at the age of 19, and Chalamet was not far behind with his Oscar nomination for Call Me By Your Name at 22. They both continued in independent films for a while before hitting the mainstream.

Timothee Chalamet in a still from Call Me By Your Name.

Heartthrob Status

Leonardo became every girl’s dream when he starred as Romeo in the modern-day Romeo+Juliet in 1996. Then in 1997, he cemented that status with another little star-crossed romance called Titanic. As the charming and handsome Jack Dawson, he found his way to the wall of of every teenage girl’s bedroom. Of course, it helped that Titanic became the highest grossing movie ever and held that record for over a decade, but more on that later. DiCaprio was always in the public eye with his high-profile romances, and his gang of actor friends (who went by an unprintable name) became the 2000s answer to the brat pack, constantly hitting the tabloids for their shenanigans. He was the epitome of the bad boy movie star.

Timothee Chalamet smiles for the camera at the Dune screening in London. (REUTERS)

Meanwhile, Timothée is a product of the internet generation, keenly aware that the nature of celebrity and fame in this era is a carefully curated mix of authenticity and manufactured appeal. He exudes indie cool while maintaining his mainstream appeal. His androgynous looks and fashion icon status have made him acessible to a wide section of the audience. Chalamet understands how to stay in the public consciousness for non-acting reasons (see his recent appearance at a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest). And while he is currently in a high profile relationship with Kylie Jenner, he’s far more reserved than DiCaprio when it comes to his private life.

Box Office Popularity

DiCaprio has been a fairly reliable box-office magnet for nearly 3 decades now. After the singular success of Titanic, he delivered hits like Inception, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street, all of which were critically appreciated as well. Timothée doesn’t have a box office juggernaut like Titanic under his belt, but it would be wrong to ascribe the success of that movie to Leonardo. James Cameron’s continuing midas touch shows us that he’s the magic sauce, and Titanic would have been just as big a hit if Jack Dawson was played by any other young heartthrob of the late 90s. Nevertheless, Timothée has also emerged as a box-office draw with the success of Wonka and Dune. But he is yet to deliver a non-IP blockbuster that rests entirely on his shoulders.

Career Choices

Starting with Blood Diamond, DiCaprio made a concerted effort to be seen as an adult leading man. An ongoing creative partnership with Martin Scorsese allowed him to test his limits with movies like The Aviator and Killers of the Flower Moon. And he sought to work with the best filmmakers - Nolan, Iñárritu, Tarantino, and now Paul Thomas Anderson. He’s an actor who excels in transformational roles, and finally won himself an Oscar for The Revenant.

Chalamet, on the other hand, is actively leaning into his sensitive emo side. Even when he plays an otherwise conventional leading man in Dune, he’s figured out how to do so without going the six-pack bulked up route like so many other male actors of his generation. He lets his characters speak for themselves through his acting, not his appearance. And he’s not afraid to take risks, like making a musical with Wonka, or taking on a legend like Bob Dylan.

Dune Part 2 starred Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides.

What’s next?

DiCaprio and Chalamet’s paths did cross in 2021’s disappointing climate satire Don’t Look Up. The incumbent gave the challenger some idiosyncratic career advice - “No hard drugs, and no superhero movies”. And so far, Chalamet seems to have taken that to heart.

So is Timmy the new Leo? There’s clearly a parallel between their early careers, but Chalamet is blazing his own way right now. He might not be the next Leo, but he’s definitely the first Timothée Chalamet - and that’s far more exciting.