“I’m no authority on this.”
Timothee Chalamet says this partway through his interview with Harry Styles for i-D magazine and to me, it’s a subtle indication of the tone of the whole piece. Timothee and Harry are heartthrobs. They are the teen dreams of this moment and, intentionally or not, they are a part of a cultural shift in the way we talk about masculinity. Timothee admitting that he’s “no authority”, aka that he might not know what he’s talking about, before delving into his thoughts on addiction, something his character deals with in Beautiful Boy, is a display of the new representation of the masculinity that he and Harry represent. Timothee Chalamet is not a mansplainer. He’s not going to pontificate on something for the sake of it, or just because he made a movie about it, like so many leading men of generations past would.
In this conversation ripped from the minds of teenagers everywhere and their fan-fic Tumblr pages, Harry and Timothee discuss everything from masculinity, the meaning of life (seriously), to social media and social responsibility, and yes, peaches. It’s an entertaining exchange between two very polite young men who also clearly want to impress each other. I also really enjoyed Timothee in conversation with Frank Ocean which was really the first time we learned how much of a fanboy Timothee Chalamet is. He keeps that same energy with Harry. It’s adorable. We’ve written a lot about the death of the celebrity profile and how much of a copout the celebrity-on-celebrity interview is. I still think celebrities interviewing celebrities could be a “sh-tty trend” as Lainey put it but this one is one of the best, largely because of how open and excited Timothee is.
Lainey brought up insight when she wrote about the Emma Stone interview by Jennifer Lawrence. What was the takeaway? What did we learn from that convo? A good profile writer and a good interviewer gives insight into their subject. He’s no Caity Weaver but Harry Styles is a surprisingly solid interviewer. That, coupled with the fact that Timothee really wants to give Harry thoughtful answers and seems like he sheepishly also wants to be Harry’s best friend gives us insight into Timothee. Their engaging and riveting exchange about masculinity wouldn’t have happened with another interviewer. Harry asks Timothee about his “responsibility as an actor to represent a new form of masculinity on screen.” Timothee says this:
“There isn’t a specific notion, or jean size, or muscle shirt, or affectation, or eyebrow raise, or dissolution, or drug use that you have to take part in to be masculine. It’s exciting. It’s a brave new world.”
And Harry counters with:
“I think there’s so much masculinity in being vulnerable and allowing yourself to be feminine, and I’m very comfortable with that.”
Sure, Harry and Timothee wear floral suits and both have very pretty, delicate faces but they’re also willing to talk about masculinity in a way that feels fresh, different, and exciting for two young guys in their position. It’s really, really HOT.
“If us having this conversation, in any infinitesimal way, can help anyone, a guy, a girl, realise that being vulnerable is not a weakness, not a social barrier. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy or hyper emotional, you’re just human, which I think is something your music gets at and hopefully my movies do too. Humans are complex; we need to feel a lot of things. We are not homogeneous.”
I’m going to chalk up Timmy’s use of “infinitesimal” as part of his desperation to impress Harry and make him his best friend instead of as a pretentious kid trying to show off. Timothee would never.
So, about those peaches.
H: Can you still eat peaches?
T: [Laughs] Umm I can, but not without thinking about it…
H: I’ve had a hard time…
T: [Laughs again] That’s the most awkward scene to see with your parents in the whole world. My poor father…
H: I’m sure he’s done it too. You’re close with your family, right?
T: Yes, I am…
LOL. If I was really a teenager and not just one in my brain, I’d be screaming. Another highlight of this piece for me (I know, I know, how can you top peaches?) is when Harry asks Timothee to name one song, one movie, one book and one person to talk to for the rest of his life, and Timothee dodges the person question.
So he and Lily-Rose Depp aren’t at the namechecking-in-interviews phase of their relationship yet, huh? Harry also deflects this answer when Timothee turns it back on him. Is it good news for the celebrity profile that even celebrities shoot down each other’s questions too? I also love that Timothee refuses to choose between Nicki and Cardi but I judge him for not choosing Beyoncé over Jay. COME ON.
If Harry and Timothee both continue down the path to superstardom that they are on, this interview might be one we look back on in decades and say, “remember when…?” Remember when Timothee said he hoped to be on a film set one day with Harry? Remember when he couldn’t stop effusively thanking Harry for interviewing him? Remember when the two most scream-inducing boys of the moment made it their mission to redefine masculinity? Remember when Timothee revealed he sleeps naked? OK, maybe not that last part.
You can read Timothee x Harry in full here.
