Timothée Chalamet won the SAG Award for best actor, his first major acting prize, at the awards show Sunday night.
The actor, 29, was recognized for his role as singer Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” Although Chalamet’s performance was widely celebrated, Adrien Brody of “The Brutalist” has bested Chalamet by winning every other major award this season.
The Golden Globe, BAFTA and Critics’ Choice Award — all of which Chalamet was also nominated for — went to Brody and he is still widely expected to take home the Oscar next week. But Chalamet’s victory Sunday, given that the SAG Award is voted on by actors, could be indicative of the Oscar going to him instead. The acting branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the largest voting bloc of the Oscars.
“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is, this was five-and-a-half years of my life,” Chalamet said. “I poured everything I had to play this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero, and it was the honor of a lifetime playing him. It’s an honor I share with Monica [Barbaro], Elle [Fanning], Edward [Norton], the entire cast, in a genre, doing a biopic, that could be perhaps tired. Everyone gave their all.”
Chalamet said he was not expecting the award and thanked his mother, who he said has been working for Actors’ Equity Association for over 40 years. He devoted much of his speech to what he called his “pursuit of greatness.”
“I know we’re in a subjective business but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” Chalamet said. “I know people don’t usually talk like that. I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats, inspired by the greats here tonight. I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps — and I want to be up there. So I’m deeply grateful. This doesn’t signify that, it’s a little more fuel. It’s a little more ammo to keep going.”
Chalamet was nominated alongside Brody, Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”) and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”). He has been previously nominated for two SAG Awards recognizing his individual performance and for cast recognition three times. He was also nominated under the best cast category for “A Complete Unknown.”
Chalamet’s young career has already included several major award nominations, but Sunday marks his first time taking one home. When the actor hosted “Saturday Night Live” in January, he devoted much of his monologue to an extended joke about consistently losing at awards shows.
His win sets the stage for an unpredictable outcome at next week’s Academy Awards. He is up against Brody, Domingo, Fiennes, and Sebastian Stan, who’s nominated for “The Apprentice.” If he wins, Chalamet will also become the youngest to take the lead actor trophy. Brody, who won for “The Pianist” in 2003 just weeks shy of his 30th birthday, currently holds that title.
