Few actors have had a better run of success over the past five years than Timothee Chalamet. Chalamet has become an icon even as he has continued to challenge himself in a variety of high-profile roles. With Dune, he even has a hugely successful franchise under his belt, even if it’s one that’s slightly more high-brow than average.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone U.K., though, Chalamet revealed that he had been passed over for roles in films like Divergent and The Maze Runner. “I would always get the same feedback, ‘Oh, you don’t have the right body,’” he explained. “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.’ I was trying to put on weight. I couldn’t! I basically couldn’t. My metabolism or whatever the f–k couldn’t do it.”
Chalamet admitted, though, that all that rejection ultimately led him to audition for smaller indie projects like Call Me By Your Name, which was his big break.
“I was knocking on one door that wouldn’t open,” he said. “So I went to what I thought was a more humble door, but actually ended up being explosive for me.”
Chalamet is currently promoting A Complete Unknown, in which he plays none other than Bob Dylan himself. Although his career may have started with a string of rejections, he has since emerged as one of the biggest stars of his generation.
