Timothée Chalamet's Body Wasn’t “Good Enough” for These Films: “Put on Some Weight,” His Agent Advised

The recent release of The Creator, a chilling body horror film, also serves as a brilliant satire on the media industry and, indirectly, on Hollywood itself, where the obsession with a “perfect” body remains alive and well. If an actor or actress doesn’t look photogenic enough, they may find themselves cast aside. This isn’t an exaggeration; stories of actresses facing criticism about their bodies are common (see Kate Winslet’s recent comments). Male actors encounter this, too—Timothée Chalamet recently revealed that he was passed over for roles in The Maze Runner and Divergent because he was considered too thin and his physique wasn’t “good enough.”

“If I went to auditions for films like The Maze Runner or Divergent, I almost always heard back that ‘unfortunately, your body isn’t right for the role.’ I even had an agent call me up and basically tell me, ‘put on some weight’—not aggressively, but you get the problem here,” Chalamet told Variety, recounting an interview with Zane Lowe from Apple Music.

The interview took place as Chalamet prepared for the release of A Complete Unknown, a film about Bob Dylan’s life, which premieres in the U.S. this Christmas and will be released in our region next February. Chalamet shared that for him, intimate, personal films like these have been a lifeline, as the creators prioritize talent over physicality. In the case of this role, they were more interested in how well he could portray Dylan than in how muscular or “fit” he appeared. “These are smaller-budget, very personal films where I found my rhythm, my confidence, or if you will, my ‘flow,’” Chalamet added.

It’s worth noting that Chalamet has also broken into blockbuster films. Although Denis Villeneuve regards Dune as a highly personal project, Chalamet shines in the role of Paul Atreides, a character who gradually transforms into a leader and warrior. Furthermore, Wonka, last year’s major musical success, was no small-budget indie project either.