Timothee Chalamet Reveals His “Hero” Advised Him to Avoid Superhero Movies

Timothée Chalamet says his “hero” advised him to avoid starring in superhero movies. The 25-year-old actor, who next stars as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and as a young Willy Wonka in Paul King’s Wonka, once laughed off Batman rumors before that role went to Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves reboot The Batman. Asked about a potential superhero role in 2018, the French Dispatch and Don’t Look Up actor named The Dark Knight as one of his favorite films and told Variety he wants to “work on…anything that’s good.”

“One of my heroes—I can’t say who or he’d kick my ass—he put his arm around me the first night we met and gave me some advice,” Chalamet told Time. “No hard drugs, and no superhero movies.”

Chalamet previously told Variety he’s “not averse to those universes,” referring to superhero franchises like the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Internet rumors last year claimed Chalamet was studio Warner Bros.’ top choice to play Terry McGinnis, the protege of a retired Bruce Wayne who fights crime in a futuristic Gotham City, in a rumored live-action Batman Beyond. 

In 2018, Chalamet recalled auditioning to play a rebooted Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tom Holland ultimately won the role. 

“I read twice and I left sweating in a total panic,” Chalamet said at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (via THR​). “I called my agent, [UTA’s] Brian Swardstrom, and I said, ‘Brian, I thought about this a lot and I have to go back and knock on that door and read again,’ and he told me the story of Sean Young and how in an attempt to become Catwoman had scared everyone away when she showed up at the studio gates in costume.”

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, and Zendaya, Dune opens in U.S. theaters and is streaming on HBO Max on October 22.