Another Oscar Miss for Chalamet—Same Issue Returns

“I don’t want to work in ballet or opera”

At Hollywood’s biggest event, the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 15 (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, “One Battle After Another”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won the most awards with six, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.

Amid all this, the upset came in the Best Actor category. Timothée Chalamet (30), who had won Best Actor at the 31st “Critics’ Choice Awards” on January 4 and the 83rd “Golden Globe Awards” on January 11, and had been considered the frontrunner early in awards season for “Marty Supreme: Conquer the World”, suddenly lost momentum just before the Oscars. Instead, Michael B. Jordan (39) won the Oscar for “Sinners.”

Chalamet had previously made a striking impression playing a 17-year-old boy who falls in love with a graduate student over one summer in “Call Me by Your Name”, earning his first nomination, and was nominated again last year for portraying Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown”. Although this year was seen as his best chance yet, it did not become a case of third time’s the charm.

One possible reason cited in reports was backlash over remarks perceived as dismissive of ballet and opera.

On February 21, during a discussion with actor Matthew McConaughey at an event hosted by Variety and CNN, Chalamet spoke about his love for cinema, saying:

“I respect people who say, ‘We have to preserve movie theaters, we have to protect this genre,’ and I’ve said that myself.”

However, he also stated:

“I don’t want to work in fields like ballet or opera where people have to say we need to preserve them even though no one is interested anymore.”

This comment sparked global controversy, with institutions such as the “Royal Ballet and Opera” issuing statements emphasizing the cultural value of opera and ballet.

However, U.S. film site MovieWeb reported that Oscar voting had already closed before the controversy over his remarks, noting:

“Timothée Chalamet had already squandered his overwhelming lead before that (controversy).”

According to the New York Post (online edition), betting sites in the U.S. that predict Academy Award winners showed Chalamet’s winning probability peaking at 78.7% on February 15, but it began to decline over the following days. By the day before the ceremony, his odds had dropped to 35.1%, while Jordan—who played twin brothers in “Sinners”—rose to 55.1%.

Setbacks in the Oscar campaign

“It became clear that the tide had already turned when Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor at the 32nd ‘Screen Actors Guild Awards’, held on March 1 just before the Academy Awards and voted on by members including actors’ unions. Many of the SAG voters are also Academy voters, so it was widely assumed that the Oscars would go to Jordan as well,” said a Hollywood insider.

Behind Timothée Chalamet’s loss of momentum was the failure of his unconventional promotional strategy for last year’s “A Complete Unknown” and this year’s “Marty Supreme: Conquer the World”. While some praised his approach, it’s possible that many voters felt put off by what they perceived as his self-assured sense of greatness and eccentric marketing tactics.

U.S. film site MovieWeb also analyzed Chalamet’s Oscar campaign, stating:

“The shift (from Chalamet to Jordan) was dramatic and suggests there was more at play than just the controversy over his ballet remarks. This appears to be a case of overexposure. Chalamet’s Oscar campaign was both fascinating and innovative, but also somewhat irritating.”

What kind of irritating campaign was it?

Last autumn, Chalamet posted on his social media a video of a Zoom meeting with marketing staff from A24, which produced the film. In it, he passionately pitched ideas such as an orange-themed campaign—symbolizing the film—and even distributing orange ping-pong balls from an airship. It was all staged as part of an effort to engage audiences.

During last year’s Christmas season, a unique promotional video was also released featuring Chalamet and former NBA player “Metta World Peace” competing in a table tennis match. The performance-art-like promotion, unlike a traditional movie trailer, quickly went viral. The film was released across the U.S. on December 19 and became a major hit. According to Box Office Mojo, as of March 25, it had grossed approximately $180 million worldwide.

However, among Academy voters, there were not a few who did not view Chalamet’s campaign favorably, and in the end, Jordan’s votes appear to have surpassed his.

Personally, both Chalamet’s performance in “Marty Supreme: Conquer the World” and Jordan’s in “Sinners” were outstanding, and both films themselves were fresh and distinctive, making it difficult to rank one above the other.

“Sinners” went beyond the framework of a horror movie, weaving in themes such as the history of racial discrimination, and Jordan’s performance—playing twin brothers with different personalities—stood out.

Meanwhile, “Marty Supreme: Conquer the World”, modeled on a real-life table tennis player, showcased Chalamet in a dynamic new light as he energetically portrayed a selfish, flawed man. I personally felt he had a slight edge.

Even so, despite Chalamet’s strong early run in the awards season, the eventual reversal highlighted the unpredictable nature behind the scenes of the Academy Awards.

In any case, being nominated three times for Best Actor at the Academy Awards at just 30 years old clearly demonstrates his high regard as an actor. Attention now turns to whether he can make a comeback with the sci-fi blockbuster “Dune: Part Three”, set for release in the U.S. on December 18.