Timothee Chalamet was in the lead to win the Oscar for Best Actor in “Marty Supreme.”
And then everything went sideways.
Tonight he lost, and not because of his comments about ballet and opera.
Chalamet made a mockery of the Oscars by carrying on with orange ping pong balls, orange outfits for him and for $250 “Marty Supreme” jackets that were suddenly being worn by every celebrity.
And then there was Chalamet’s “partner,” Kylie Jenner.
Jenner was utterly tasteless throughout the campaign, coming to every event with her big personalities hanging out of her dress. The Academy loathed her. Timmy has no idea how the Kardashians are held in low esteem in Hollywood. They are social climbers whose talents are making money for doing nothing.
The Oscars, however, are about accomplishment.
Timmy’s marketing problems began when he made the video of a fake marketing meeting. It was clever, too clever. That’s when all the orange talk began — lighting up the Statue of Liberty, putting himself on Wheaties boxes. And when I asked how this video came about, I was told be wrote it and directed it himself. It was such a mistake.
In the lobby of the theater for the New York premiere, I met a 17 year old girl who told me her “Marty Supreme” jacket cost $250. Chalamet had instigated a frenzy over the jackets. Outside, dozens of young people only wanted the ping pong balls, baseball caps, and other paraphernalia. No one was talking about the movie itself or Chalamet’s acting skills.
The amount of hubris that grew through the campaign — which also included Chalamet passing as a rapper and then denying it — reached its climax at a CNN Town Hall with Matthew McConnaugey at the University of Texas. The whole thing was devised a last minute Oscar plug. The two actors just blew smoke up each other’s you-know-whats. It was an embarrassment. And it let to the infamous putting down of the fine arts.
Luckily, the opera-ballet quotes didn’t become a national issue until the day voting closed, But there was a whole week before that, and plenty of Oscar voters watched CNN that night. What they saw was a cocky kid who still didn’t get it, and had become self-obsessed.
It’s too bad. Timothee Chalamet is a talented actor. But it’s time to grow up if he wants a long career. He has said he’s talked to Leonardo Di Caprio about celebrity. But he obviously hasn’t listened. If you want to win an award, bring your mother, your sister, your teacher, your priest. You don’t bring a hot sidepiece in a bright red dress. Leo never has, and he’s had plenty of girlfriends. But when you’re at work, get serious.
Lesson learned? We’ll see…
Timothee Chalamet Wasn’t Kidding: “Marty Supreme” Marketing Onslaught Includes Real Orange Blimp, Virtual Ones on Google
