Those who’ve seen at least a few of Timothée Chalamet’s best movies might agree that the young actor possesses phenomenal range. Despite that, I was somewhat surprised by a recent role he pitched for himself. Upon being asked if he could do another biopic after playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Chalamet said he’d be up to play Ernie Johnson in an Inside the NBA production. The hosts of the long-running TNT program have since reacted to the actor’s comments, and Charles Barkley’s take really has me laughing.
I have to admit that when I heard the Call Me by Your Name star was open to portraying “EJ” in some capacity, I was somewhat thrown off. However, now I can’t stop thinking about the possibility as both a fan of the sports talk show and the 29-year-old actor. As it so happens, I’m not the only one who’s enthusiastic about the prospect of such a production as well. Ernie Johnson reacted to the idea enthusiastically while discussing it on a recent episode of Inside, of which a clip was shared on Instagram:
I can’t believe Timothée Chalamet said that, but it made me a hero with my kids and grandkids. … Timothée, call me. Call me, let’s talk.
Funny enough, Ernie Johnson’s wife, Cheryl, also shared a funny video, in which she suggested that after hearing the comments, her hubby suggested they go see A Complete Unknown. And his alleged reason for that was so that he could see how the Interstellar alum might play him. While the sportscaster explained that he already wanted to see the movie given his Bob Dylan fandom, he still commended the lead actor’s work. Quite frankly, I love these sentiments and the fact that Johnson is so excited.
Someone who was humorously less than impressed, though, was Charles Barkley. The outspoken pundit, who’s been trading verbal jabs with JJ Redick as of late, seemed to find the whole situation somewhat annoying. He conveyed those very thoughts while also pointing to a similar situation from last year involving co-host Kenny Smith and the Little Women cast member:
Let me just say this here. … Just when you think things couldn’t get worse. … Last year, Timothée Chalamet said he got his dressing influence from Kenny. That I thought was as low as we could go, that my life could go. Because Kenny could not wait to get in [and say,] ‘Timothée Chalamet wants to dress like me!’ Now, this? This is the end…
I’d certainly expect a reaction like this from the man who previously said wild things about Inside the NBA amid its potential cancellation controversy. I’ll say that I do appreciate Sir Charles’ typical (and brutal) honesty. His comments won’t deter me from thinking that an Inside the NBA biopic starring Mr. Chalamet wouldn’t be worthwhile. After all, the Oscar nominee did indeed crush it as Bob Dylan, with critics raving about his “playfully off-kilter” performance. Not only that, but the A-lister just recently filmed the A24 sports biopic Marty Supreme, in which he plays the titular role.
At this point, the likelihood of an Inside biopic seems to be slim but, if you’d like it to happen, keep those fingers crossed. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Lady Bird actor could effectively channel Ernie Johnson. Now, I’m just wondering who could play the rest of the team and just how Charles Barkley would react to someone throwing their name in the ring to play him.
While you wait for movement on such an endeavor, head to your local cinema to see Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
