The Wonka star and Chanel ambassador speaks candidly about being able to choose what he does next.
Actor Timothée Chalamet is bona fide modern swoon material. Part of the appeal perhaps is the A-lister’s unapologetic charm and his willingness to break with convention. Chalamet is known for taking risks and making his characters his own. Take his latest role in Wonka, where Chalamet shined in the quirky lead role (historically played by other Hollywood legends such as Jean Wilder) and proved his universal appeal.
Rising to stardom after his performance in Call Me By Your Name, the French-American actor is firmly in the A-list thanks to his incredible talent – and, yes, dreamy looks – so it was no surprise when Chanel announced last year that the actor had been signed on as the House’s ambassador for the much-loved men’s fragrance, Blue De Chanel.
Below, Chalamet tells ELLE his thoughts on his partnership with Chanel Beauty – a first in either beauty of fashion for the star – his determination to forge his own path, his early scent memories growing up, and his impressions of this latest campaign for Bleu De Chanel.
Timothée Chalamet: I didn’t have to sell myself on anything when I was asked to become the new ambassador of Bleu de Chanel. The decision was not dissimilar to agreeing to do a film. I am lucky to be at a place in my career where I have the opportunity to curate and choose projects that strike my passion. When so many fingers in the glove feel like they fit, it becomes a no-brainer. You just immediately become excited and go all in.
Timothée Chalamet stars in the new BLEU DE CHANEL campaign film directed by Martin Scorsese.
ELLE: How do you feel when you wear the fragrance?
TC: When you put on Bleu de Chanel, you’re emphasizing a distinct experience, or maybe a certain look, occasion, or date. For me, personally, there’s a specific intention behind fragrance. I’m not someone who wears a scent all the time. When I do, it becomes emblematic of a moment, and later there’s a nostalgia for that moment and it becomes something more meaningful.
ELLE: The ethos of Bleu de Chanel is firmly rooted in the state of becoming someone who does not limit themselves to the ordinary boundary’s life sets and looks beyond what is visible to evolve. Does this resonate with your own path or ideology?
TC: To me, the idea of becoming revolves around a continued aspiration to be self-possessed. There’s a power to living as your most authentic, best self and manifesting what you want in and out of your life or even for a particular afternoon – a micro manifestation.
Timothée Chalamet as the face of Chanel’s BLEU DE CHANEL fragrance,
ELLE: Is there a memory of fragrance that sticks out to you from your childhood?
TC: Growing up, my sister danced at Rosella Hightower dance school in Mougins, South of France. Once, our mom took us to a perfumery in Grasse. I loved the experience, and I got a cedarwood scented room spray to bring back to my bedroom. I accidentally sprayed it on my clothes, and the smell was overwhelming. Yet I remember very vividly feeling at the time that it was a creative expression to curate the scent of my room. That felt very French and nostalgic.
TC: My grandmother bought my sister Chanel N°5 for Christmas.
Timothée Chalamet stars in the new BLEU DE CHANEL campaign film directed by Martin Scorsese.
