In all fairness, I’ve only seen two of Chalamet’s movies, but I commend his performance in both films. Call Me By Your Name, the 2017 movie in which he co-stars opposite Armie Hammer, explores the relationship between a teenage Elio (Chalamet) and an older Oliver (Hammer). Whilst I’ve only seen this movie once, and will not be watching it again, two of his scenes in the film really stuck out to me. Firstly - for better or for worse – the peach scene, which I will do you all a favour and not go into detail about, and the final scene, when the credits roll. The raw emotion in that scene was so open and vulnerable, and I think really demonstrated his acting abilities.
The second is Little Women, in which he co-stars alongside Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh. A film I’ve been meaning to watch for ages, but my flatmate only introduced me to the other week, I thought he played the role of Laurie phenomenally. These two movies are different time periods and genres, proving his adaptability as an actor, I’m sure. Although I suppose both Elio and Laurie are heartbroken throughout the course of the movies, at least Laurie has a happy ending.
Even looking at his track record: Interstellar and Lady Bird were both films that did really well, and his upcoming movie Dune starring Zendaya and Oscar Isaac is predicted to earn $30-$40 million in its first three days of release across the US and Canada. His acting past clearly shows promise, and I think he demonstrates more than enough range to be successful in Wonka.
The actual picture itself didn’t amaze me; I can’t lie. I originally thought it was a fan edit because I’d heard rumours of Chalamet being in Wonka, but never gave it much thought. Then I saw the picture circulating on social media and was like … ah.
The thing to remember is that in a movie franchise that has such history and legacy, they wouldn’t risk casting Chalamet if they didn’t think he could pull off the role. Whilst I haven’t seen him play such an eccentric and iconic character like Willy Wonka yet, I’m not worried. I’m excited to see what he’ll bring to the role: and I’m certain that by following in the footsteps of Wilder and Depp, he will provide a more than successful performance.
