Timothee Chalamet is having a year. The actor has had to contend with weighty expectations since his Oscar-nominated turn in Call Me By Your Name (2017), and it seems as though he has finally made good on them.
The actor has two high profile releases in 2024. The first, Dune: Part Two, is one of the most acclaimed genre films of the last few years. The second, A Complete Unknown, is a highly anticipated Bob Dylan biopic that arrives on Christmas.
Chalamet could be the youngest Best Actor winner ever
Being able to score two massive successes in the same year is a rare feat as is, but Chalamet is poised to do something even more impressive. If he wins an Oscar, he will becoming the youngest actor in history to do so.
It's been confirmed that Chalamet will be campaigning for Best Actor for both Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown. While the chances of him getting nominated for both are basically zero (no actor has ever been nominated twice in the same category in the same year), the fact that he has two huge releases in the same time period will boost his chances of winning.
If Chalamet wins an Oscar for, say, A Complete Unknown (the more voter-friendly film), then he will have achieved the feat at 29 years, two months, and six days old. This will make him a mere 276 days younger than the current record holder, Adrien Brody.
Chalamet will compete against the current record holder
Brody won Best Actor for The Pianist in 2003, and remains the only actor to take home the award before the age of 30. Chalamet has been touted as the Leonardo DiCaprio, the Daniel Day-Lewis of his generation, ever since his first nomination, so it would stand to reason that 2025 be the year in which this status is officially coronated. Especially in a time where Hollywood is desperate for new stars.
The most fascinating aspect of the impending 2025 Oscar race, however, is that Chalamet's chance at making history may be stomped on by the very same man he's attempting to beat: Adrien Brody. The actor has received rave reviews for his performance in The Brutalist, making him the strongest challenger (so far) to Chalamet's storybook narrative.
It's going to be a fascinating to see how the race shakes out. Given the quality of acting both Chalamet and Brody are dishing out, however, moviegoers will prove the ultimate winner.