Timothée Chalamet’s “I wanna be one of the greats” speech at this year’s SAG Awards, which resulted in this undeniably excellent article from yours truly, inspired a moment of self-reflection for fellow thespian Shia LaBeouf. The actor, accused of abuse in a 2020 lawsuit from FKA twigs that’s set to potentially go to trial later this year, will soon be seen in the film adaptation of David Mamet’s Henry Johnson play.
Speaking with Seth Abramovitch for the Hollywood Reporter, LaBeouf, who was joined by Mamet for the interview, brought up Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown victory speech after relaying how he says he’s evolved since his and Alec Baldwin’s issues during Orphans prep back in 2013. Per LaBeouf, his 2024 Catholicism conversion has changed how he works.
“Me and Alec would never have these problems now,” LaBeouf said, as seen here. “But I was in an island. Then I hear Timothée Chalamet get up and he says something like, ‘I want to be great.’ I so know the feeling. On him, it’s cute. On me, it wasn’t cute. You know what I’m saying?”
During his speech in February, which came after his record-setting win for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, Chalamet pointed to the decade-plus artistic process he underwent in pursuit of portraying Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. He also acknowledged a personal goal, namely to one day be mentioned among the true titans of any field, film or otherwise.
“I can’t downplay the significance of this award because it means the most to me,” Chalamet, who will next be seen in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, said at the time. “I know we’re in a subjective business but the truth is I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that but I wanna be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight.”
From there, Chalamet specifically shouted out a number of widely acknowledged greats as key sources of inspiration for him, including (but not limited to) Viola Davis and the late Marlon Brando. Revisit the moment here.
The LaBeouf-starring Henry Johnson is out this Friday.
