Timothée Chalamet says bold press stunts aren’t “gimmicks” but an “artist expanding”
Timothée Chalamet has insisted that his outlandish press stunts are not “gimmicks” but an example of an “artist expanding”.
The actor was speaking during an exclusive conversation with director Richard Curtis at the Prince Charles Cinema in London on February 1st, when he was asked about his bold brand of press promotion and the meaning behind this.
Chalamet has been recently creating various wild stunts on the press tour for his latest acclaimed film Marty Supreme, including turning The Sphere in Las Vegas into a ping-pong ball, and staging a satirical Zoom call between himself and his marketing team, which went viral in November.
He said (via Variety): “Here’s the thing — this risks killing any mystery around it, but I really don’t look at it as promotion or marketing. I see myself as an artist expanding,” before adding, “And certainly the Zoom had a little bit of satire to it, but the initial video in the glass box, those [ping-pong ball] heads, I feel like I’m expressing myself.”
To this end, Chalamet claimed he has a different view of promotional opportunities compared to many other actors, as he continued: “You know, a lot of people want to be told what to say, how to say it and where to stand — I’m talking on the acting front. Also, people don’t want to misstep. I feel like I’ve got the keys, I’ve got the right attitude, I’ve got the juice.”
The actor began his niche marketing methods following the release of the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown in 2024, where he most notably performed deep cuts by the singer during an appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Despite the stunt having pulled off hugely, the actor also revealed in the conversation with Curtis that he had to pay SNL’s showrunner Lorne Michaels a six-figure sum of his own money to allow him to do it.
Chalamet insisted that although his stunts could be seen as outlandish, “This is the new way of doing stuff. I’m trying to reach audiences, you know. I don’t want to be in the pretentious in-crowd.”
He ultimately concluded by saying: “[What] I actually honestly feel is that it’s not marketing or promotion. That sounds like a gimmick, and this is not a gimmick. This is coming from my heart and my soul.”
Chalamet has been nominated for many prestigious awards for his turn in Marty Supreme, including winning ‘Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Film’ at the Golden Globes.
He will find out whether he has beaten the competition in the coveted ‘Best Actor’ category at the Oscars next month.
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