Timothée Chalamet was just a young actor stepping onto the set of a massive science-fiction epic and barely appearing in it. His part in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar‘ was brief enough that many viewers still miss him on a first watch.
Yet, out of every film in his now celebrated career, this tiny early role is the one the ‘Dune‘ and ‘Call Me by Your Name‘ star continues to call his favorite.
Why ‘Interstellar’ Holds A Special Place In Timothée Chalamet’s Career
Before becoming a major star, Chalamet appeared briefly in ‘Interstellar‘. He played the younger version of Tom, the son of Matthew McConaughey’s character Cooper. Because the story keeps jumping forward in time while Cooper travels away from Earth, Tom grows older, and Casey Affleck later plays the adult version.
Chalamet had limited screen time. But the film arrived at a very important moment in his life, when his career was still uncertain. At a special IMAX 70mm screening in Los Angeles, the ‘Marty Supreme‘ actor interviewed Nolan and told him directly how much the film still means to him.
He said, “Though my role is not enormous in ‘Interstellar’, I think I was number 12 on the call sheet… this film came to me at a time in life, in my career, where things were certainly not set yet.” He added that it has remained his favorite project he has ever been part of.
Chalamet Reveals Emotional Reaction After Watching His Favourite Movie
Looking back, Chalamet explained that his connection to the movie only grew after he watched it. In fact, he admitted he has seen ‘Interstellar‘ more than any other film and joked that it is “the film I’ve seen the most of, of all the films ever made in human history.”
However, the first viewing surprised him emotionally. After seeing the finished movie, he said he “wept for an hour.” It was partly because he realized how much the story had changed during development.
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When he originally got cast, he searched the project online and learned that Jonathan Nolan had written the script for Steven Spielberg. At that stage, the story focused strongly on a father-son relationship. So he genuinely believed he had landed a major role and thought, “Oh man, I made it!”
Later, the film was reworked, and young Tom became a smaller part, which he accepted. Hearing this, Christopher Nolan smiled and replied, “Never believe what you read online!”. And Chalamet didn’t give this advice a second thought. Maybe that’s why he has reached the heights he deserves today.
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