Actor Timothee Chalamet is celebrating his first Oscar nomination back in Italy, reunited with his Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino and co-star Armie Hammer.
The 22-year-old discovered he had been shortlisted for the Best Actor prize on Tuesday morning (23Jan18), while he was on a flight with Hammer to meet up with Guadagnino in the country where they filmed the coming-of-age drama.
“Wow, what an incredible morning. I’m a bit in shock…,” the stunned star told The Hollywood Reporter shortly after the nods were announced. “The feeling of gratitude I have at the moment has less to do with individual achievement and more with the appreciation for the artists past honored in this category and all of the nominees of this year.
“I am in awe of the pedigree of the Academy. I am truly honored.”
Timothee admitted part of the reason why he was so overcome with emotion was because he was experiencing a true full-circle moment.
“I’ve been traveling with Armie Hammer the last 12 hours. We land in two hours and we will be back in Italy together for the first time in a year and a half,” he explained. “Tonight, we’re getting dinner with Luca Guadagnino. Without Luca’s true mastery and vision, and without Armie’s trust and guidance, without the public arts funding that made my high school education at LaGuardia (performing arts school in New York) possible, I wouldn’t be in this position.
“Thank you to those that made this possible, and the Academy, for this recognition.”
Chalamet will face tough competition for the Best Actor Oscar as he his fellow nominees are Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), and Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.).
The winners will be announced during Hollywood’s big night on 4 March (18).
