The brave crime thriller from which Timothée Chalamet was rejected

We are supposed to live in a time when there are no movie stars anymore, which would make Timothée Chalamet something of an anomaly. The 28-year-old headlined a string of box office hits in 2023 and 2024, proving that he has that unique movie star appeal that makes the general public pay for tickets simply due to the fact that Chalamet is the star.

After its Willy Wonka origin story, “Wonka,” grossed more than $600 million worldwide in December 2023, the Chalamet-starring sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” surpassed a milestone of box office after another in 2024, becoming one of the most important films of the year. He also plays living legend Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” and if his last two films are anything to go by, that particular biographical drama should benefit greatly from Chalamet’s presence.

But it took a while for the young actor to reach this stage of movie stardom. Before headlining Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two,” I was desperately trying to work with the French-Canadian filmmaker on just about anything. At one point, he even auditioned for one of Villeneuve’s best films, narrowly missing out on a role that would have cemented the couple’s working relationship long before they brought the Paul Atreides saga to the big screen.

Today we know Denis Villeneuve as the director of major films such as the grim blockbuster “Dune: Part Two,” as well as its predecessor, “Dune,” the smart, heart-pounding sci-fi film “Arrival,” and the surprisingly hidden “Blade Runner 2049”. But just as he was trying to make a name for himself outside his native Canada, Villeneuve burst onto the scene with what remains one of his best films: 2013’s “Prisoners.”

The film starred Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, a father whose daughter is kidnapped. Dover becomes increasingly desperate in his pursuit of her, compromising his long-held principles as he slowly falls apart. Overseeing the tragic events from the police side is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki, who is battling his own demons. As the days go by, Dover becomes more and more convinced that Alex Jones, played by Paul Dano, a man with intellectual disabilities, is the one behind his daughter’s kidnapping and, in one of the most memorable scenes, leads to Alex to an empty house where he beats him mercilessly. an attempt to get the answers you need.

Dano is perfect in the role of Alex, delivering an understated but moving performance that lives up to the demands of the film’s big twist. But it seems like it almost could have been Timothée Chalamet who endured Jackman’s wrath in the movie, as the “Dune” star actually auditioned for “Prisoners” when he was just 15 years old. GQ Reportedly in 2020, when Chalamet met with Villeneuve to talk about “Dune,” the director told the star how good it was to finally meet, only for Chalamet to remind him that he had already auditioned for “Prisoners.” “Of course!” Villeneuve said when told, “He auditioned great, but he didn’t physically fit the role. He was probably insulting me because I didn’t choose him.”

After Denis Villeneuve passed away Timothée Chalamet, fortunately Paul Dano was drawn to “Prisoners”, which turned out to be the best overall. Dano was one of the best things about the movie, and Chalamet became a major star in a series of increasingly high-profile projects. But it seems that while he was becoming a bonafide movie star, Chalamet harbored a desire to one day work with Villeneuve ever since his failed audition for “Prisoners.” As the actor once said. ETalk“I had auditioned for ‘Prisoners’ when I was 15, a movie with Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, so I’ve been trying to work with (Villeneuve) for a long time,” adding: “He’s one of the best, if not the best director working at the moment.

So strong was his desire to finally work with Villeneuve that, as Chalamet revealed to Deadline In 2021, he created a Google alert for the “Dune” project “as soon as Denis got involved.” The actor also explained more about how he was trying to get the director’s attention since his audition for “Prisoners” didn’t work out, saying:

“I remember I was trying to get in front of him as much as possible and arrange a meeting with him. We had a night at the BAFTAs where one of my good friends, Stéphane Bak, who is also an actor, saw Denis on the other side. I walked into the room. room and I said, ‘Hey buddy, he’s right there.’ So, we went to talk to him. I kept trying to get in front of him, but I didn’t really have the feeling of the possibility (of working with him).”

Fortunately, even though he initially forgot that Chalamet had auditioned for “Prisoners,” Villeneuve had him in mind for “Dune” and asked the actor to fly to Cannes (where he was president of the jury) to discuss the film, sealing thus its appearance. in the film and finally bringing the two together on one project.