I will try to say this as calmly as possible: Timothée Chalamet is King. He is Legend. He is He.
He is the breakout star of 2017, and one of the few people who could factually say that the past 12 months have been the best of his life. This is a unique privilege, and one that I am happy he can claim, because as someone who is a Fan of Timmy T, I believe that he has earned it. Not only is Chalamet, who turns 22 on December 27, the star of the critically-acclaimed Call Me By Your Name (in one specifically terrific scene, you see him experience no less than six different stages of heartbreak), and the charming asshole in Lady Bird, but he's also on track to completely rule awards season.
So far, he's won almost every award he has been nominated for, and is already a favorite front runner for the Oscar for Best Actor.
His two films of 2017 have a notoriously intense fandom on Twitter — stan is the only appropriate word for the groups of dedicated CMBYN and Lady Bird enthusiasts. But it's more than just his floppy brown hair and tendency to say "I'm kidding" that has critics and high schoolers taking note; it's the way he seamlessly personifies the two roles that were basically written for him to play.
In CMBYN, based on the 2007 book by André Aciman of the same name, he plays 17-year-old Elio who, upon meeting a tall, tan, handsome 24-year-old American grad student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), becomes immediately infatuated. (This isn't a spoiler; he's clearly in love from the very first scene.) The film, which is nominated for three Golden Globes, has been praised for its ability to depict a gay love story that has no tangible villain. The only thing working against Elio and Oliver is time itself, as Oliver is only in town for one summer.
In Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, Chalamet plays Kyle Schieble, opposite Saoirse Ronan who plays the titular role. Lady Bird, with her strawberry red hair and penchant for rule-breaking, develops a crush on Kyle (one of the cool kids at the all-boys Catholic school) after hearing his band play. Kyle is pretentious, moody, rolls his own cigarettes, and doesn't believe in money. He hasn't lied in two years, despite, um, lying to Lady Bird's face in a pivotal moment of the film.
In my perfect world, Ronan (Atonement, Brooklyn) and Chalamet sweep awards season — her for Lady Bird, and him for Call Me By Your Name. At a time when Hollywood is changing so much, wouldn't it be amazing to see two young, fresh, incredible stars take home the biggest prizes of the year?
What makes Chalamet so alluring is his acting style which can be summarized in one word: vulnerable. But his real life presence can be summarized by another: normal. Much like other "Internet boyfriends," Chalamet's charms lie in the fact that he's just a normal kid at the end of the day. When he's not on the red carpet answering questions about a certain scene with a peach, he's thanking Cardi B for her contribution to music, hanging out with his high school friend Ansel Elgort, trying to rap, maybe attending New York University, and engaging with his adoring fan base on Twitter, and in real life.
Every once in awhile, an actor comes along and completely seduces an entire generation. In 2017, that actor was Timothée Chalamet.
This is his story.
Update: Timothée Chalamet has been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Elio Perlman in Call Me By Your Name. At 22, he is the youngest Best Actor nominee in almost 80 years. After documenting his swift rise to the top back in December, it's hard not to say "I told you so."
The Oscars air March 4 on ABC at 8 p.m. EST. I know who I'll be rooting for.