Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar campaign for “Marty Supreme” got a big boost with a Q&A about the film moderated by Robert Downey Jr., who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in 2024. Downey was full of praise for Chalamet, going so far as to call the 30-year-old actor “one of the greats” in the profession.
“We’ve been talking about this a lot lately,” Downey said of Chalamet’s pursuit of greatness. “I’m literally twice your age. When I was 30, I was making a movie with Norman Jewison. It was called ‘Only You.'” Me and Marisa Tomei. We were somewhere on the Amalfi Coast and we went to Norman Jewison’s. You know, I watched Moonstruck and all these great movies and I said, “Norman, I think you’re one of the greats.” I want you to tell me if you agree with that. ”He looked at me like I was crazy. He said, “Well, Mr. Downey, we don’t know that yet.” And I want to say in front of God and this entire audience that as of “Marty Supreme,” that’s not something you’ll see anymore. Let’s hear it, Timothée Chalamet. ”
Chalamet made it clear to the industry that he wanted to become a great actor during his acceptance speech at the 2025 SAG Awards, where he won the Best Actor award for his role as Bob Dylan in Completely Unknown.
“I cannot understate the importance of this award, because it means the most to me,” Chalamet said in his speech. “I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is I really strive for greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m Michael I’m inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis, as well as Jordan and Michael Phelps. I don’t mean that, but I need a little more fuel, a little more ammunition.”
Chalamet is a front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar thanks to Marty Supreme, and has already won the Broadcast Critics Association Award and Golden Globe honors. He has also been nominated for Best Actor by SAG and is on the BAFTA longlist for Best Actor.
During the press tour for Marty, Chalamet raised eyebrows in Hollywood with his unconventional antics and divisive interviews, with some believing he was veering too far into brash territory. In an interview that went viral on social media, Chalamet told reporters that “Marty Supreme” was his best acting role after giving “superlative performances” in the past “seven or eight years.” He added, “I don’t want people to take it for granted. I don’t want to take it for granted. This is really top-level shit.”
Chalamet then appeared on Good Morning America and made vague comments about the film’s potential success, which many on social media interpreted as predicting Chalamet would win an Oscar for Marty Supreme in the new year.
“I want the movie to be successful. I want everything to be a win,” Chalamet said. “The real truth is, it’s ‘Marty Supreme.’ I’m sure we’ll know what it will be by next summer.”
It turns out Chalamet wasn’t wrong. Additionally, his press tour was a success, with Marty Supreme approaching $100 million in worldwide box office receipts and establishing Chalamet as a front-runner for Best Actor at the Oscars in March.
After the Oscar season for Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme” winds down, the international press tour for Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part 3” will begin later this year. The sequel’s release date is December 18, the same as Downey’s Avengers: Doomsday.
“We both have a movie coming out on December 18th, so we decided to coin it…we’re thinking Dune Day,” Downey told the audience during a Q&A with Chalamet. “Let’s see if we’re still friends by then.”
