Timothée Chalamet opens up about early fears of becoming an actor

Timothée Chalamet Reflects on Early Fears of Becoming an Actor

Timothée Chalamet recently opened up about his early reservations about pursuing acting, shaped by his upbringing in New York City's Theatre District. Growing up in a rent-subsidized building surrounded by struggling artists, he witnessed firsthand the challenges of making it in the industry.

Speaking with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, Chalamet admitted that his environment initially deterred him from acting.

“This building truthfully made me scared of acting because it’s a tough lifestyle, and a lot of people aren’t doing fantastically,” he shared.

Cooper suggested that growing up around artists might have encouraged him to follow a similar path, but Chalamet revealed it had the opposite effect.

“It actually terrified me of becoming an actor,” the Wonka star recalled.

Despite his family's artistic roots—his mother was a dancer, and his sister, Pauline Chalamet, is known for her role in The Sex Lives of College Girls—Chalamet said his father urged him to choose a more conventional career.

“It’s no place for a child. It really isn’t,” he said of acting at a young age. “The cameras and people going, ‘Hey, do the thing where we recognize you as cute in your own head.’”

However, despite his initial fears, Chalamet followed his passion and became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors. He has since earned two Oscar nominations—one for Call Me by Your Name (2017) and another for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (2023).