IN 2017, E. Alex Jung declared that "Male Stars Are Too Buff!" On the heels of that, a young Timothée Chalamet entered the popular consciousness via Call Me by Your Name. The public appraised him; people took in his long, lean limbs, his "alabaster skin" (Vogue's phrase), the alien angularity of his facial structure, and, rather than say "Wow, this kid should 100 percent be cast as Colin in a remake of The Secret Garden," they said, "This is the heartthrob we've been waiting for." He was the antidote to the Marvel-led glut of synthetic, bulging muscles that looked like CGI but were real and the brute brand of masculinity associated with that type of body.
Blended with Chalamet's otherwise standard-issue heartthrob characteristics (white, cis, floppy '90s hair, pouty lips), all this led to an explosion of heartthrob idolatry: Vogue declared that he was "ushering in a new era of masculinity"; I-D magazine hailed him as "the Perfect Heartthrob for 2018"; another headline singled out his eyes, stating "Timothée Chalamet's Sex Eyes Are the Spice of Life." It took no time at all-he was the Internet Boyfriend Supreme by the end of 2019. The fandom materialized and grew to full "Chalamania." Fans made slow-motion memes of his open-mouthed, torso-winding dancing in Call Me by Your Name and Photoshopped his face onto great works of art on the ChalametInArt Instagram account. The overwhelming allure wasn't just his looks. It was, as one megafan who waited hours to spot him on the red carpet of the 2022 Venice Film Festival put it, his gentle personality. "It feels nice to have a Gen-Z star who seems genuinely nice, whom we can all look up to," she told Variety. Fans were drawn in by his emotional intelligence and seeming sweetness and sensitivity. It felt like they could rely on him to always make the interesting choice (in love interests, famous friends, roles, red-carpet fits).
This story is from the December 4-17, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 4-17, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Did Brooklyn Bridge Park Get So Right?
Nearly 20 years after we broke ground, it's more impressive than ever.
No Man's Land
Rachel Cusk's gender fundamentalism fully surfaces in her latest novel, Parade.
Faust Goes to Fidi
The producers of Sleep No More are back with the whirlwind immersive-theater project Life and Trust.
The Renegade
June Squibb has the perfect first lead role: a granny gone rogue.
The Empty Seat
At Paris Couture Week, one question everyone's lips: Who will lead Chanel?
The Hidden Dutch Colonial
When Nicholas Howey and his late husband, Gerard Widdershoven, bought this 1925 house tucked away behind the hedges in Bridgehampton, they did little more than paint it-and fill it with art.
The Next Shishito?
Jimmy Nardello peppers, long beloved by chefs, are set to break out.
The Shrimp Show
San Sabino makes maximalist seafood for the social-media age.
The WEIGHT of a BOEING 787
Mitch Barnett spent years fighting one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers. It cost him his life.
By age 43, I'd come up with many explanations for my perpetual strangeness with other people. - Then the autism diagnosis arrived.
SIX YEARS AGO, my now-husband, Sam, asked my father if he could marry me.
