From Call Me By Your Name to Dune: Part Two, Timothée Chalamet has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most exciting young actors. With Oscar nominations, blockbuster hits, and critically acclaimed performances, he has built one of the most impressive filmographies of his generation.
Here are the 7 best Timothée Chalamet performances ranked, highlighting the roles that defined his meteoric rise to movie stardom.
From indie dramas to major sci-fi blockbusters, these performances prove why Timothée Chalamet is one of the defining actors of his generation.
7. Wonka (2023) – Willy Wonka
In his most wholesome role to date, Timothée Chalamet takes on the iconic role previously embodied by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. Willy Wonka is a departure from the kind of dramatic roles Timothee usually chooses, but in doing so, he demonstrates his range as an actor. Everyone knows the character so well; it’s quirky, comedic, but with a cynical undertone. Timothee’s take, unlike the previous versions, leans on the character’s whimsical sensibility. His Wonka is steadfastly earnest in a treacherous world. To pull it off, the actor taps into his boy-next-door charm so effortlessly, while his trained restraint keeps it from being cloying. Plus, the film gives Timothee an opportunity to flaunt his singing skills aside from the occasional hip-hop stints.
6. Little Women (2019)
In this adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel, Timothée plays Laurie, the March Sisters’ childhood friend who harbors an intense crush on the rebellious Jo March (Saoirse Ronan). Through the passing of time, Laurie and the March Sisters would undergo heartbreaks and triumphs as they grow into adulthood.
Director Greta Gerwig’s take on Little Women infuses the beloved classic with Gen Z energy while retaining faithfulness to the text. Timothée, with his old-school beauty and intense gravitas, perfectly encapsulates this duality. He effortlessly channels Laurie’s transformation – from his naive youth to his jaded older self – with equal restraint and vitality. Timmy’s boyish charm isn’t just a visual treat; it relays his insecurity, unrequited love, petulance, and anger so naturally that we just can’t help but look at the character in a new light.
Timothée Chalamet's best performances
Laurie is traditionally positioned mainly as the center of a love triangle between him, Jo, and Amy (here played by Florence Pugh). But in this film, his character brings so much more to the table. Thanks to Timothée’s sensitive portrayal, Laurie escapes the two-dimensional way he’s usually portrayed and bursts onto the screen with bleeding heart earnestness. Take Laurie’s infamous confession scene to Jo, in which Timothée – alongside Saoirse – delivers an emotionally-charged declaration so intense you can almost feel your own heart crack. Part of that is the dialogue, but the passionate delivery takes it to another stratosphere.
5. Dune (2021)
In Dennis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the sci-fi classic, Timothée takes on the leading role of Paul Atreides, the young heir to a prosperous aristocratic planet caught in the midst of an interplanetary conflict. The film tackles the book’s first half, capturing Paul’s journey from a sheltered scion to a deposed fugitive forced to fight for survival.
Just like Little Women, the first Dune is about Paul’s coming of age – only with life-or-death stakes. Timothée’s natural boyish charm fits perfectly with Paul’s state of mind at this point: unsure, reluctant, and naive about his future – something he delivers with such ease thanks to years of similar roles. It’s only later in Paul’s journey that Timothée gets to flex his depth as an actor – balancing the ache of betrayal with the emerging warrior underneath Paul’s frail exterior.
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4. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Timothée Chalamet's best performances
In his breakout role, Timothée plays a teenager falling in love with his father’s student, set against the backdrop of sizzling Italian countryside summer. Between navigating the complex and intense wonder of first love and coming to terms with his homosexuality, Timothée brings vulnerability and wholesomeness in his Oscar-nominated performance as Elio. The love story shared with Armie Hammer (as Oliver) is tender yet passionate, innocent yet all-consuming – all largely due to the natural camaraderie shared between the two actors.
As the film toggles between Elio’s growing pains and his life-changing summer fling, we watch a star being born – so delicate in physicality yet brimming with intense charisma beyond his age. It all culminates in the closing minutes of the film, where Timmy famously relays heartbreak, longing, and fondness just through a close-up of his face – a wordless scene that demonstrates his ability to convey so much with so little.
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3. Marty Supreme (2025)
Timothée Chalamet's best performances
Playing a real-life ping-pong champion in search of greatness, Timothée Chalamet essentially channels himself in the Josh Safdie-directed film.
The actor hasn’t been shy about expressing his ambitious pursuit of perfection. During Marty Supreme, he finds the ultimate vessel as a relentless hustler with an “all or nothing” mentality. In this role, he sheds the precious soft boy persona that has defined his image for years and essentially goes method – in front and behind the camera. In the movie, he’s maniacally obsessed and gritty, intense in an aggressive way that reminds you of Leonardo DiCaprio – intentional, perhaps, given Timmy’s open adoration of the Titanic actor.
Outside, during promotion of the movie, Timothee isn’t done performing: delivering a series of outrageous stunts like releasing a rap video and donning ping-pong themed outfits with girlfriend Kylie Jenner. It works to generate massive attention to his otherwise tiny indie fare, proving that he understands stardom at a level unmatched by most other actors.
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2. The King (2019)
One might say this movie was the perfect audition for his eventual Dune role as Paul.
Arguably one of his most underrated roles, Timothee demonstrates his majestic potential early on in the Shakespeare epic. Before Dune, he played a reluctant royal forced to step into his responsibilities in this movie. Sensitive and emotionally constrained, Timothee delicately portrays his character’s journey, navigating court intrigue while searching for his own identity.
Timothée Chalamet's best performances
Playing a young king stepping up to his destiny, his body language and line delivery telegraph every self-doubt, resolve, and eventual ascent, believably every step of the way. Timothee always has a way to tinker with his demeanor to suit a character’s state of mind. The catch is: it’s so subtle you might not notice until it explodes at pivotal moments – which is the genius of his performance.
1. Dune: Part Two (2024)
In perhaps Timothee’s most memorable performance to date, Dune: Part Two’s Paul Atreides is a changed man born out of the adversary, shaping the uncertain boy we saw in Part 1. Here, just as Paul goes from a sheltered royal to a calculating cult leader, Timothee unleashes the full power of his acting range.
The transformation of Paul occurs so gradually throughout the film that his eventual descent down the dark path at the end comes as a shock you should’ve seen coming in retrospect. In delivering this tricky development, Timothee lulls you in with his heroic persona – the kind of charisma so impossible to resist that very few actors just have. Timothee understands the love audiences have for Paul; this enables him to blend in Paul’s more sinister motivation so seamlessly until it’s too big to deny. And once all is out in the open, you see a ruthless, war-mongering overlord whose heroism has morphed into dictatorial arrogance.
Timothée Chalamet's best performances
It’s this ability to manipulate the audience's perception ever so subtly that makes this performance Timothee’s most impressive one yet – even though many awarding bodies dismiss it simply because of its genre.
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Best Timothée Chalamet Performances Ranked
| Rank | Movie | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Wonka | 2023 | Willy Wonka |
| 6 | Little Women | 2019 | Laurie |
| 5 | Dune | 2021 | Paul Atreides |
| 4 | Call Me By Your Name | 2017 | Elio |
| 3 | Marty Supreme | 2025 | Marty Reisman |
| 2 | The King | 2019 | King Henry V |
| 1 | Dune: Part Two | 2024 | Paul Atreides |
