A thought-provoking piece. This is just me, but I dunno if it's fair to compare Chalamet to Cruise or Day-Lewis. They all come from very different eras, especially the latter two. Chalamet practically grew up in an internet-dominated world, so he inevitably learned how to hustle, especially in such a competitive field as acting. Of course, Cruise and Day Lewis don't believe in self-promotion because they don't need it. They became big enough early on to let their work speak for itself. I really don't think Chalamet needs it either, but he can't help it -- he inherently has that mentality. I give it to him that he really tries hard with every role. I don't see the same drive in most of his contemporaries -- maybe from Jeremy Allen White, but then again, he's 5 years older, and his focus and craft differ greatly from Chalamet.
I really hope he won't win because I believe he'll have even better performances and roles in the future as he gets older. Marty is a narcissistic dickhead, and he couldn't be further from relatable. And I say this as someone who enjoyed Marty Supreme, but it's kind of problematic how fans put this character and performance on a pedestal. If you ask me, the question at the end of the film shouldn't be if "Those are happy or sad tears." It should be, " Why is he crying?" In my view, he isn't crying for the baby. He cries because it's a relief for him that he finally achieved his goal, even if he destroyed everyone around him. He's exactly the same selfish asshole as he was in the beginning -- who didn't change one bit. He doesn't deserve the happy end he gets.
Also, thanks for this: "Movie stars used to be like Jay Kelly (in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly) — always struggling between their public image and their personal life." I think it's a shame that Clooney wasn't at least nominated. For me, surprisingly, his character and internal transformation felt a lot more relatable and vulnerable than Chalamet's -- even though I couldn't be further from the character. But that's good acting, isn't it? To deliver a character that can touch you and make you feel for him even if you have virtually nothing in common. I didn't feel anything like that for Marty. He runs through the movie destroying everything, yet he gets the win he desired, presumably the girl, a baby, and pretty much an overall happy ending. What did he sacrifice for that? Not a lot, I'd say.
I actually agree with you — online hustle culture is why I’m comparing them. I love introverted Timmy, I think the internet is giving him a hard time right now, proves how the two facets of self become impossible to co-exist at this level of scrutiny. Thanks for sharing Akos, love to hear your take. And I shamelessly loved Jay Kelly despite agreeing with the populace that Noah Baumbach overindulged in some moments.
I'm not sure if Timmy is THAT introverted, to be honest. But I also don't follow him that much outside of his films, so I might be wrong, but the couple of interviews and bits and pieces I saw with him showed a quite confident and open guy. And as you mentioned in your piece, he wears his vulnerability on his sleeve pretty much.
Fantastic write-up! A thing that's also worthy of discussion is how Josh Safdie's disgusting on-set practices pretty much crippled the film's Oscar campaign.
A thought-provoking piece. This is just me, but I dunno if it's fair to compare Chalamet to Cruise or Day-Lewis. They all come from very different eras, especially the latter two. Chalamet practically grew up in an internet-dominated world, so he inevitably learned how to hustle, especially in such a competitive field as acting. Of course, Cruise and Day Lewis don't believe in self-promotion because they don't need it. They became big enough early on to let their work speak for itself. I really don't think Chalamet needs it either, but he can't help it -- he inherently has that mentality. I give it to him that he really tries hard with every role. I don't see the same drive in most of his contemporaries -- maybe from Jeremy Allen White, but then again, he's 5 years older, and his focus and craft differ greatly from Chalamet.
I really hope he won't win because I believe he'll have even better performances and roles in the future as he gets older. Marty is a narcissistic dickhead, and he couldn't be further from relatable. And I say this as someone who enjoyed Marty Supreme, but it's kind of problematic how fans put this character and performance on a pedestal. If you ask me, the question at the end of the film shouldn't be if "Those are happy or sad tears." It should be, " Why is he crying?" In my view, he isn't crying for the baby. He cries because it's a relief for him that he finally achieved his goal, even if he destroyed everyone around him. He's exactly the same selfish asshole as he was in the beginning -- who didn't change one bit. He doesn't deserve the happy end he gets.
Also, thanks for this: "Movie stars used to be like Jay Kelly (in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly) — always struggling between their public image and their personal life." I think it's a shame that Clooney wasn't at least nominated. For me, surprisingly, his character and internal transformation felt a lot more relatable and vulnerable than Chalamet's -- even though I couldn't be further from the character. But that's good acting, isn't it? To deliver a character that can touch you and make you feel for him even if you have virtually nothing in common. I didn't feel anything like that for Marty. He runs through the movie destroying everything, yet he gets the win he desired, presumably the girl, a baby, and pretty much an overall happy ending. What did he sacrifice for that? Not a lot, I'd say.
I actually agree with you — online hustle culture is why I’m comparing them. I love introverted Timmy, I think the internet is giving him a hard time right now, proves how the two facets of self become impossible to co-exist at this level of scrutiny. Thanks for sharing Akos, love to hear your take. And I shamelessly loved Jay Kelly despite agreeing with the populace that Noah Baumbach overindulged in some moments.
I'm not sure if Timmy is THAT introverted, to be honest. But I also don't follow him that much outside of his films, so I might be wrong, but the couple of interviews and bits and pieces I saw with him showed a quite confident and open guy. And as you mentioned in your piece, he wears his vulnerability on his sleeve pretty much.
It’s hard to tell, right? But that’s the whole point.
Fantastic write-up! A thing that's also worthy of discussion is how Josh Safdie's disgusting on-set practices pretty much crippled the film's Oscar campaign.
Thank you 🙏 Yea some people argue though that this was intentionally leaked to harm the campaign, not that it makes the concerns any less valid