For many in Hollywood, an Academy Award is the ultimate accolade, a career-defining achievement. But for Timothée Chalamet, the intense Oscars buzz surrounding his latest performance is being overshadowed by a growing public perception that he's become, in the vernacular of the internet, 'a bit cringe'. The question now is whether a potential win could ultimately damage his reputation.
The Meteoric Rise and the 'Marty Supreme' Campaign
The American-French actor, who rose to fame with his breakout role in Call Me by Your Name in 2017, has become one of the most sought-after stars of his generation. With roles in major films like Little Women, Dune, Wonka, and A Complete Unknown, he has already secured two Oscar nominations. However, critics are now backing his 2025 performance in Josh Safdie's sports drama 'Marty Supreme' as the one that could finally see him lift the trophy.
The film casts Chalamet as 1960s ping pong prodigy Marty Mauser, a character loosely based on real-life table tennis champion Marty Reisman. Chalamet has fully embodied the role, not just on screen but off it, adopting the character's bravado during the press tour. He has appeared in interviews wearing retro glasses and personalised windbreakers, making bold statements about the quality of his own work.
Confidence or Arrogance? The Backlash Begins
The controversy ignited when Chalamet suggested that his work in Marty Supreme represented his best acting yet, following what he called 'top-of-the-line performances' for the past seven or eight years. This remark was swiftly labelled as arrogant by some, causing discomfort among fans and prompting a defensive response from the actor.
Chalamet explained to IndieWire that his attitude was channelling the 'spirit' of his alter ego. 'This is the spirit of Marty,' he stated, framing his promotional zeal as part of selling an original film about dream-chasing. He doubled down in other interviews, declaring, 'This is really some top-level s**t,' and making ambiguous comments on Good Morning America that some interpreted as predicting an Oscar win by next summer.
Despite this being a deliberate performance for promotion, the strategy appears to be backfiring with a segment of the audience. On platforms like Reddit, hundreds of film fans have expressed their unease. One user, Dizzy-Ease4193, summed up the shift in sentiment: 'This press run went from endearing to provocative to downright exhausting.' Another, Annatarshairbow, stated bluntly: 'This press tour is the reason I'm not gonna see this movie.'
A Cautionary Tale: When Oscar Wins Backfire
This situation raises the spectre of the 'Oscar curse', where a win can sometimes harm a star's popularity. The most cited example is Anne Hathaway's experience in 2013. After winning Best Supporting Actress for Les Misérables, she faced a torrent of online mockery and was perceived as overly eager and annoying. The backlash was so severe it affected her career, with Hathaway later revealing she lost roles because studios feared her 'toxic' online identity.
Film industry expert Graham Fulton, co-founder of Conic Film, offers a more measured perspective. He tells Metro that from a marketing standpoint, Chalamet is 'a marketer's dream' who commits fully to press in a way few of his peers do. 'He comes to interviews in service of the work... That approach is already paying off,' Fulton notes, while acknowledging that the confidence won't land with everyone.
Fulton draws a parallel to Joaquin Phoenix's unconventional Joker campaign, suggesting that once the work is seen, the noise often fades. 'In the long run, it's the performance, not the press tour, that's likely to define how this moment is remembered,' he concludes.
As the awards season heats up, the current Oscar odds from William Hill place Chalamet as the clear favourite for Best Actor at 1/2, ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio (7/2) and Wagner Moura (6/1). The question remains: will a potential victory be a crowning glory or a Pyrrhic victory for the young star's public image? Only time, and the court of public opinion, will tell.
