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There was a time — not all that long ago — when Timothee Chalamet was the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Academy Award for Best Actor.
The 30-year-old drew rave reviews for his work in Marty Supreme, but even more impactful was the press tour he launched on his own behalf.
Ahead of the film’s release, Timmy was everywhere: talk shows, social media feeds, standing on top of the Sphere in Vegas — you name it.
He was promoting Marty, sure — but he was also promoting himself.
Chalamet has made no secret of the fact that he badly wants to see an Oscar on his mantel.
And he’s already come close more than once.
This is Timmy’s third nomination, and for a while, it seemed like this would finally be his year.
Having just turned 30 in December, Chalamet would be one of the youngest Best Actor winners in history.
(Adrien Brody holds the title by a nose — no pun intended — having scored his statuette for The Pianist at the age of 29 years and 343 days old.)
But he’s been on the scene for so long — and turned in so many solid performances — that it felt like he was lon overdue for Hollywood’s biggest prize.
As recently as January, a Chalamet victory seemed like a lock.
He took home the top prize at the Golden Globes, and many prognosticators started treating his Oscar win as a foregone conclusion.
But then Michael B. Jordan took home the top prize at the Actor Awards. And Chalamet was overlooked at the BAFTAs, with the night’s top acting prize going to Robert Aramayo.
Chalamet has notched a few small wins in the pre-Oscar minor leagues, but increasingly, there’s a feeling that Jordan has the momentum heading into the industry’s biggest night.
So what happened?
Well, it’s possible that Chalamet just made himself a little too visible over the past few weeks (did we mention that stunt at the Sphere?).
Oscar voters like to maintain the illusion that they’re voting based on the strength of the performances, not how hard the actors campaign.
Harvey Weinstein is generally credited as the inventor of the modern-day, ultra-aggressive award season blitz, and his tactics have fallen out of favor for obvious reasons.
On top of that, Timmy didn’t improve his odds when he executed a massive unforced error, remarking on the declining popularity of opera and ballet during a sit-down with Matthew McConaughey.
While Chalamet might view himself as a movie star first and foremost, many if not most Academy members view themselves as artists — ones who exist in a world that’s adjacent to the one occupied by opera singers and ballet dancers.
Thus, an offhand remark might have dealt him a fatal blow in the final days of Oscar voting.
But whatever happens on Sunday night, Timmy will be just fine.
He’s still one of the biggest stars on the planet, he’s still dating Kylie Jenner, and he’s got a slew of high-profile projects lined up (as he always does).
And we’re sure he’ll win that Oscar eventually.
He just might have to wait for a year when Michael B. Jordan’s not nominated.