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Timothée Chalamet isn’t trying too hard; he’s just not hiding it
The backlash around Chalamet’s Oscar push says less about him than it does about how we’ve decided ambition should look in public
- PUBLISHED: Wed 14 Jan 2026, 11:53 AM
- By:
- Husain Rizvi
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Timothée Chalamet is everywhere right now. Red carpets, interviews, awards shows, viral clips. And for some, that visibility has become a problem.
The criticism is familiar: he’s trying too hard. He wants the Oscar too badly. His campaign feels desperate. The ambition is showing, and apparently, that’s uncomfortable.
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But the backlash around Chalamet’s Oscar push says less about him than it does about how we’ve decided ambition should look in public. Especially when it comes from young stars who refuse to pretend they’re above the game.
Chalamet is one of the strongest Best Actor contenders this year. He’s already picked up major awards momentum, including a Golden Globe win where he beat the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, and Ethan Hawke, and a Critics Choice Best Actor win (the youngest to do so) for Marty Supreme. By most industry standards, this is exactly what a successful Oscar run looks like.
And yet, there’s resistance.
Part of it comes down to optics. Marty Supreme has had a limited release so far, largely in the US, with no confirmed UAE release date. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 22, with the ceremony in March. Reports suggest the film may only roll out in more international markets around the same time. If Chalamet wins, some viewers will inevitably feel the award went to the campaign rather than the performance.
That perception has already taken hold online. There are Reddit threads questioning why he seems “so desperate” for an Oscar — as if ambition itself is something to be embarrassed about. The irony is that the Oscars have always rewarded those who campaign hardest. What’s changed is how visible the process has become.
Remember Brendan Fraser's comeback campaign in 22/23?
Before that, awards campaigning was handled quietly, or rather subtly. Studios and publicists managed it behind closed doors, shielding actors from the appearance of self-promotion. Wanting an Oscar was, obviously, expected. Admitting it was not.
Today, that machinery is public. To quote Chalamet himself: "I am in pursuit of greatness."
Campaigns play out across social media and carefully timed interviews and appearances. And Chalamet is at its forefront. He's gone ahead and made a music video with British rapper EsDeeKid, apparently debunking rumours of the two separate individuals being the same person. And then there are appearances with internet comic personalities like Druski, a hilarious collaboration, I must admit.
But such exposure is often mistaken for desperation.
Chalamet understands this modern reality better than most. His Oscar campaign is perhaps part of the performance. Everything feels intentional, but not robotic. He's in control of the narrative.
And that’s what unsettles some. We’re comfortable celebrating ambition in hindsight — when legends talk about how badly they wanted it, years after they’ve already won. We’re far less comfortable watching someone pursue it openly, in real time.
Age plays a role here too. For nearly a century, the Academy has been reluctant to award Best Actor to young men. Adrien Brody remains the only man to have won the category in his 20s. Chalamet, who turned 30 in December last year, would become the second-youngest Best Actor winner in Oscar history if he takes it.
Hollywood has long preferred its male stars to “wait their turn.” Young actresses, by contrast, have been recognised far more readily over the past decade. The message here is that talent can, or should, arrive early, but authority must be earned slowly, especially for men.
Chalamet sits in an awkward middle space. He’s no longer a prodigy, but he’s not yet a veteran either. Old enough to be taken seriously, young enough to be told he has time. Leonardo DiCaprio spent years in that same position, his repeated nominations turning into a running joke before the Academy finally decided the moment was right.
So the real question isn’t whether Timothée Chalamet deserves an Oscar. It’s why the audiences are uncomfortable watching someone want one.
Timothée Chalamet isn’t trying too hard. He’s just not hiding it. And even if he doesn't end up winning this year, he'll inevitably star in several other Oscar-worthy films in the years to come.
