Timothée Chalamet reveals the secrets to his success: 'No hard drugs and no superhero movies'

Timothée Chalamet is revealing some of the secrets of his success.

In the Time cover story, the 25-year-old star revealed acting advice given to him by one of his heroes that has helped him navigate his stardom thus far.

“One of my heroes — I can’t say who or he’d kick my a** — he put his arm around me the first night we met and gave me some advice," Chalamet revealed. "'No hard drugs — and no superhero movies.'”

The 78th Venice Film Festival - Screening of the film
Timothée Chalamet, 25, talked about navigating stardom in the Time cover story. (Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi) (Yara Nardi / reuters)

Chalamet, who has yet to appear in superhero films, said of his fame, "It's a combination of luck and getting good advice early in my career not to pigeonhole myself."

He admitted, "I'm figuring it out. On my worst days, I feel a tension in figuring it out. But on my best days, I feel like I'm growing right on time."

Though don't call him a "movie star" — a term that makes him cringe and he describes is "like death."

"You're just an actor," he said, perhaps trying to convince himself. "You're just an actor."

He's an actor who's an expert at navigating the press. Asked about his Call Me by Your Name co-star Armie Hammer facing a rape accusation, Chalamet replied, "I totally get why you're asking me that, but it's a question worthy of a larger conversation, and I don't want to give you a partial response."

While his Dune director Denis Villeneuve slammed the decision by Warner Bros. to stream the film on HBO Max at the same time it comes out in theaters, Chalamet wouldn't.

"It's so above my pay grade," he said of the film, one of two he has coming out Oct. 22 (also: The French Dispatch). "Maybe I'm naive, but I trust the powers that be. I'm just grateful it's coming out."

Over the weekend, he shared his first look at Wonka, the movie musical that is a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He said the role has been good for him.

"It's not mining the darker emotions in life," he said. "It's a celebration of being off-center and of being OK with the weirder parts of you that don't quite fit in."

Fans of "Timmy" will swoon knowing during the interview he took a call from his grandma ("Love you too, Grandma," he said as he hung up), and revealed what he stands for personally.

"I feel like I'm here to show that to wear your heart on your sleeve is OK," he told the magazine.

Advertisement