The Universe According to Timothée
“My superpower is my fearlessness.”
Unbeknownst to a group of grade school girls practicing their tendus in mismatched leotards down the hall, Timothée Chalamet had spent an hour walking in circles. He experimented with his footfalls, adjusted the swing of his gait, paused, reset, and touched the tips of his long fingers together. He drilled this circular walk repeatedly until it appeared effortless and natural.
We are at a dance studio in Hell’s Kitchen, the neighborhood where 29-year-old Chalamet grew up. He is rehearsing for a performance that challenges many actors—promoting a project as the leading man—an often grueling task that can cause stress or mistakes on late-night television.
Chalamet created a unique concept—his own idea—that might be described as an acid trip version of a cadet march. Welcome to the press tour for Marty Supreme: Chalamet stands at the center of a group of men dressed in black, each balancing a cadmium-orange Ping-Pong ball as large as a classroom globe on their heads.
Expect to see this peculiar band of pumpkin-headed foot soldiers often, as Chalamet is taking them on the road with an approach similar to an album release. The night before, he introduced them on Instagram Live to 45,000 viewers to promote the movie's upcoming Christmas Day release.
“My superpower is my fearlessness.”
Author’s summary: Timothée Chalamet fearlessly redefines film promotion with a striking, theatrical concept that blends performance art and innovative marketing.