Timothée Chalamet’s 13 Best Roles, Ranked
He's come a long way since his Lil' Timmy Tim days.
Timothée Chalamet made his film debut just over a decade ago, but in that relatively short period, he’s racked up plenty of high-profile roles, earning dozens of well-deserved award nominations—and several wins—along the way. The actor's not even 30 yet, and he’s already successfully embodied multiple beloved characters, from Little Women’s Laurie to Willy Wonka, chocolatier extraordinaire. Between that early mega-success and his upcoming slate of projects, it’s safe to assume the internet’s favorite “frail Victorian child” isn't going anywhere.
With all of those highly lauded roles, it can be tough to know where to start when diving into Chalamet’s very varied filmography, so we’ve done the work for you and humbly offer this (highly subjective) list of a baker's dozen of his best onscreen appearances.
13. 'Interstellar' (2014)
In a movie largely about a powerful, dimension-defying father-daughter relationship, Chalamet’s role as the younger version of the aforementioned father’s son was relegated largely to the sidelines. Despite minimal screen time, he made the most of this, one of his first-ever film roles. He’s spot-on in channeling the resigned, apathetic vibe of a teenager unable to pursue his dreams in a climate crisis-ravaged world and left behind by an adventurous father (played by Matthew McConaughey).
12. 'Don't Look Up' (2021)
Don't Look Up is another small but mighty part for Timmy, playing the quirky character Yule in an ensemble packed with quirky characters. In his interactions with Jennifer Lawrence’s Kate, who’s on a mission to warn the world about a fast-approaching, Earth-destroying comet, he brings some much-needed levity to an otherwise extremely bleak situation. He also comes to represent a variety of reactions to the news that Kate has experienced in her highly politicized, extremely scientific echo chamber.
11. 'Hot Summer Nights' (2017)
At the same time as Chalamet was taking the world by storm in 2017 with his star-making role in Call Me By Your Name, he was also starring in another summer-soaked coming-of-age film. Hot Summer Nights received decidedly less adoring reviews than CMBYN but nearly every critic agreed that Chalamet’s seemingly effortless performance—as an aimless teen who finds himself slipping into dangerous behavior in the wake of his father’s death—goes a long way in making up for the confusingly chaotic plot.
10. 'Bones and All' (2022)
This one isn’t for the faint of heart—seriously, you’ve been warned. In his second collaboration with CMBYN filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Chalamet plays Lee, who forms a strong bond with Taylor Russell’s Maren after discovering their shared cannibalistic tendencies. Though a graphic and often disturbing horror movie, Bones and All is also a moving love story about two young people living on the fringes of society. Both Chalamet and Russell somehow perfectly capture that emotional weight while also, you know, feasting on human flesh.
9. 'The French Dispatch' (2021)
Are you really a Hollywood star if you haven’t been recruited to join one of Wes Anderson’s A-list ensembles? Fortunately, we’ll never have to wonder that about Chalamet, as he checked it off his to-do list with this 2021 dramedy. Told in Anderson’s classically kitschy style, The French Dispatch encompasses several storylines relating to the French outpost of a Kansas newspaper, including one segment in which Chalamet plays a student revolutionary who becomes something of a martyr for his cause.
8. 'The King' (2019)
Timmy tried his hand at historical drama in this Netflix film, which follows the rise of King Henry V. Based on several of Shakespeare’s plays, it features a stacked cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton, and Lily-Rose Depp, to name a few. Chalamet won praise for his portrayal of the royal’s transformation from a layabout young prince to a savvy wartime king following the death of his father, Henry IV (played by Ben Mendelsohn)—all while sporting a bowl cut, the pinnacle of style in the Middle Ages.
7. 'Lady Bird' (2017)
Lady Bird is a poignant coming-of-age story and a heartfelt ode to mothers and daughters. While Chalamet’s character is merely one of many vehicles for the titular character’s (played by Saoirse Ronan) journey of self-discovery, his absolute perfection in the role of her gaslight-y hipster boyfriend can’t be overstated. His character, Kyle, is in a band, sits outside coffee shops to read and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes, and speaks authoritatively about the dangers of owning a cell phone and participating in the economy (though he does both)—basically, a 17-year-old girl's dream boyfriend.
6. 'Dune: Part 1' (2021) and 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)
There comes a time in most fast-rising young actors’ careers when they’re tapped to join an adaptation of an acclaimed series of sci-fi novels, and for Chalamet, it’s Dune. In the most recent iteration of Frank Herbert’s award-winning books, he leads a star-studded cast as Paul Atreides, heir to a noble house at war over the ownership of a valuable planet. His performances in both 2021's Dune and 2024's Dune: Part Two were roundly applauded by critics and audiences alike, leaving fans eagerly awaiting his final go-round in Paul's stillsuit in Dune: Messiah, which is tentatively expected in 2026.
5. 'Wonka' (2023)
We already knew Lil’ Timmy Tim could spit bars, but Wonka showed the world that he could sing, too. In this delightfully whimsical musical, Chalamet plays a young Willy Wonka as a budding confectioner. Its trailer may have inspired a plethora of (admittedly hilarious) memes, but don’t let that stop you: The movie itself is sweet and fun, and Chalamet’s total commitment to his zany role deserves all the applause.
4. 'A Complete Unknown' (2024)
Chalamet earned his second Oscar nomination—both before the age of 30, NBD—for his role as Bob Dylan in this 2024 music biopic, complete with a near-perfect imitation of Dylan’s unruly mop of curls and signature mumbly vocals. The film pays homage to the iconic musician’s first several years in the industry, documenting the early marks he left on folk music until he (gasp!) went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival—which means we get to hear the star's renditions of hits like “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Like A Rolling Stone.”
3. 'Little Women' (2019)
Similar to his presence in Lady Bird—which was also directed by Greta Gerwig—Chalamet’s turn as Laurie in Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel is largely there to help Jo (played by yet another Lady Bird alum, Saoirse Ronan) explore a world beyond that of her sisters and, later, understand what it means to love someone. But even in this stepping-stone-like role, he still gives his all as the only boy ever allowed in the March sisters’ inner circle.
2. 'Beautiful Boy' (2018)
Another tough but powerful watch—albeit in a different way than Bones and All—Beautiful Boy stars Steve Carell and Chalamet as real-life father and son duo David and Nic Sheff. The movie is based on both Sheffs’ memoirs of Nic’s addiction to drugs, exploring Nic’s struggles to stay sober and David’s feeling of helplessness while witnessing his son’s battle with addiction. The film was applauded for its realistic portrayal of the broader impacts of addiction, with praise for Chalamet’s performance in particular, earning him nominations at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, BAFTAs, and more.
1. 'Call Me By Your Name' (2017)
Surprise, surprise: The movie that first put Chalamet on the map in 2017 remains one of his absolute best roles. In Guadagnino's adaptation of André Aciman's beloved LGBTQ+ novel of the same name, he plays 17-year-old Elio, who strikes up a secret, star-crossed romance with a graduate student (Armie Hammer) staying with his family in Italy one summer. For his breakout role—including that rendezvous with a peach, plus his devastating closing scene set to Sufjan Stevens’ “Visions of Gideon”—Chalamet earned a well-deserved Academy Award nomination, making him the youngest Best Actor nominee since the 1930s.
