Timothée Chalamet has said he lost out on two major franchises because he did not have the “right body”.
Chalamet, 28, opened up about his struggles with putting on weight in a new interview.
The Dune star told Rolling Stone UK that he tried to put on weight because he would always get the same feedback from casting agents: “Oh you don’t have the right body.”
“I had an agent call me once and say, ‘I’m tired of getting the same feedback. We’re gonna stop submitting you for these bigger projects, because you’re not putting on weight,’” said the Little Women actor.
“I was trying to put on weight. I couldn’t! I basically couldn’t. My metabolism or whatever the f*** couldn’t do it.”
Among the roles he missed out on were parts in the major action franchises The Maze Runner and Divergent, which starred Dylan O’Brien and Theo James, respectively.
Chalamet recalled how repeated rejections from such action movies led him to indie projects such as his breakout role in 2017’s Call Me By Your Name.
“I was knocking on one door that wouldn’t open,” he told the magazine, referring to action films. “So I went to what I thought was a more humble door, but actually ended up being explosive for me.”
Chalamet is next starring in A Complete Unknown, in which he plays musician Bob Dylan. The film, which also stars Elle Fanning, has received positive early reviews from critics.
As part of his preparation for the part, the actor worked with a vocal coach, guitar teacher, dialect coach, movement coach and harmonica tutor.
He also kept mostly to himself on set, said his co-stars Ed Norton and Monica Barbaro.
“It was something I would go to sleep panicked about, losing a moment of discovery as the character – no matter how pretentious that sounds – because I was on my phone or because of any distraction,” said Chalamet.
“I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparing to play him. So while I was in it, that was my eternal focus. He deserved that and then more. God forbid I missed a step because I was being Timmy. I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!”
Earlier this month, Gwyneth Paltrow confessed that her “mom group” was “on fire” after she recently filmed a kissing scene with Chalamet.
Photos of the actress kissing the actor on set of the forthcoming sports drama Marty Supreme went viral on social media last month.
A Complete Unknown is slated for a UK theatrical release in January 2025.
