Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest filmmakers alive today, and Timothée Chalamet is one of our most promising young actors. Which is why when the two decided to team up for a Bleu de Chanel campaign, it caused quite a stir online. Photos of the two shooting the commercial in New York went viral, with many fans excited about the superstar collaboration. While the desire to work with Scorsese was an expressed desire by Chalamet, it was the actor’s performances in Call Me By Your Name and Dune that made the Goodfellas director want to work with him as well.
In a recent video from GQ, Chalamet had the opportunity to sit down with Scorsese to ask him questions about filmmaking, and chat about their experience working together on the Chanel ad campaign. Scorsese talked about being approached by the designer brand to do the commercial, and what about Chalamet’s past performances drew him to the Lady Bird actor. The filmmaker said:
First time I saw him was in Luca [Guadagnino]'s film. Call Me By Your Name. And so, you know, and I'm great admirer of Luca, and I loved the picture. I always talk about performances, but they aren't really, they're like behavioral, where you don't see the acting, you know what I mean? And so I connected there, and I saw Dune, you know, which I enjoyed. And I started to see a sense of range. And then Chanel asked me to do this spot for Bleu. Which you had already done. I had done years ago. The first one. They said they had this young gentleman named Timothée Chalamet, and I said, 'Ah, that one I know.'
Being praised for a performance by Martin Scorsese is a high accomplishment for an actor, and it is definitely deserved. Call Me By Your Name and Dune are two of Chalamet's best films, and the 27-year-old is incredible in both. It was clearly this ability to adapt to wildly differing material that drew the director to the actor. Scorsese has a knack for identifying young stars and pulling showstopping performances out of them, which he did with frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and even a young Jodie Foster back in the day. With Chalamet’s knack for choosing interesting, director-driven projects, it’s no surprise Scorsese was drawn to him as well.
The Bleu de Chanel campaign has yet to be released, but based on behind-the-scenes footage, it is a romantic short film that captures a rainy day in New York City. The setting is perfect for the collaborators, as both Scorsese and Chalamet famously both helm from the big apple. Chalamet was already an ambassador for the brand, participating in a number of fragrance campaigns, and Scorsese directed a commercial for the fragrance back in 2010 with French actor Gaspard Ulliel. He has done a number of ads for other brands as well, like Dolce & Gabbana and Emporio Armani.
Maybe this small scale collaboration will evolve into something bigger for the duo, As they seem to have enjoyed working together. Scorsese has already decided upon his next project, The Wager which will once again star DiCaprio in the leading role. Maybe there’s room for Chalamet in the cast as well. DiCaprio and Chalamet have also worked together before on 2021’s Don’t Look Up, and the Oscar winner has even acted as a mentor to the Dune: Part Two star on the film. We will have to wait and see as more information about The Wager is released, but in the meantime fans can be excited about this Chanel campaign from two incredible creatives.
Call Me By Your Name and Dune are both available for Netflix subscribers, if fans want to see for themselves the Timothée Chalamet performances that drew Martin Scorsese to the actor. You can also check out the director’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon which is currently in theaters nationwide.
