Timothee Chalamet Says He Was Asked to Gain Weight for 2 Roles

Timothée Chalamet shared that he faced suggestions to gain weight while pursuing movie roles early in his career. During the November 11 episode of Apple Music’s "The Zane Lowe Interview Series," he stated, "If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, the feedback was always, ‘Oh, you don’t have the right body.’"

The 28-year-old actor noted, "I had an agent that called and said, ‘You got to put on weight,’ not aggressively, but you know." Instead of conforming to expectations for mainstream action roles, Chalamet chose smaller films with a "very personal style" and high prestige. Titles like Lady Bird, Little Women, and Call Me By Your Name, for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2018, captured his interest.

"This is where I found my rhythm, my confidence, my flow," Chalamet reflected on his experience. He linked his journey to becoming a star with that of music icon Bob Dylan, whom he portrays in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown, releasing on Christmas Day.

He stated, "I found my way into these very personalized movies. For [Dylan], it was folk music. He struggled to keep a rock and roll band because they got hired by others with more money in Minnesota."

Chalamet has since made a significant mark in big-budget films, starring in the Dune series and Wonka, which earned $634 million globally last year.

In A Complete Unknown, he returns to character-driven storytelling, even singing in the trailer released in early October. Later that month, in a lighthearted moment, he attended a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in New York City.

Wearing a baseball cap and a black mask, he blended into the Washington Square Park crowd. After he revealed himself, Chalamet posed for pictures with his look-alikes. Among the competitors, 21-year-old Miles Mitchell won the contest, taking home a $50 prize and an oversized trophy.

Another attendee, Jared Dylan Borek, was scouting for modeling talent. He remarked, "It’s a scrawny white boy parade. It’s perfect. We’ll see how it turns out. I’m hopeful."