Like I said the other day, movies are coming at us from everywhere right now as we get closer to fall movie season, prestige movie season. Last week Timothee Chalamet was part of that conversation when the first trailer for Little Women was released and people got into their feelings about his reunion with Saoirse Ronan. I repeat, I can’t wait to see how the unfamiliar youths on social media will react when they find out that Laurie ends up with Amy instead of Jo. 

Timothee hasn’t been all that active on social media this year. And he’s kept a very low profile for months. But he tweeted about Little Women, focusing on the women, last week, and then yesterday he put himself in the spotlight and on the throne:

As you can imagine, people went wild. Or maybe that was just me. 

It’s not just the bowl cut. It’s also his delicate features and the expression on his face. The King looks away in frustration. He’s so frustrated he might actually cry. I have a friend who finds it hot when men cry. This is not usually my thing, but I do appreciate Sam Taylor-Johnson’s photo series “Crying Men” from a few years ago – have you seen the portraits? If Timothee was actually close to crying in this poster, it could be part of the series.

Probably he’s not crying though. Probably he’s torn. Hal isn’t an enthusiastic ruler, at least not initially. Here’s the Netflix synopsis about the film: 

Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). Directed by David Michôd and co-written by Michôd and Edgerton, THE KING co-stars Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson, and Lily-Rose Depp.

The King is based on Shakespeare’s take on the Henrys, and Henry V (Hal), the family rogue who goes on to improbable victory on the battlefield and becomes a great leader, the “hero’s journey”. I didn’t spend much time on Henry V in school but I do remember cracking up over “tennis balls, my liege”. That was basically Shakespeare’s version of diss track. 

You’ll note in the poster that Timothee and Joel Edgerton are billed equally. Joel and director David Michod co-wrote the script so I’m curious as to how Falstaff will be portrayed in this version. Falstaff is often seen as a comedic character. I don’t know how much space there will be in The King for humour so Joel’s interpretation of Falstaff may be a more nuanced reading. Is he really a bad influence, did he seek to undermine Hal, or could you say that he was the one who was undermined when Hal rejected him to make his power play? Wearing the crown takes sacrifice – and the sacrifice, often, are the people closest to you. 

The King will screen at the Venice Film Festival in a couple of weeks. Timmy, finally, on a red carpet again. With Lily-Rose Depp? It’s been a long, long, long time since we’ve had an update on their relationship. I feel like he’s been working so much they may not have been able to spend much time together. Or they’ve been able to do it very privately. I’m ready for those photos.