Timothée Chalamet, who shouted out Viola Davis in his oft-cited SAG Awards speech about his “pursuit of greatness,” has “a spirit of excellence” that’s inspiring to see in young actors, says the Oscar-winning Fences star.
Speaking with Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast, Davis reiterated her love for Chalamet’s 2025 speech, which also saw the Dune franchise star mentioning NBA legend Michael Jordan and other examples of the greatness he’s aiming for in his own work.
“What I loved about the speech is he has a spirit of excellence,” Davis, an EGOT winner with three additional Oscar nominations to her name (most recently for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), told Poehler. “I always negotiate, Amy. So, if you feel like I take a long pause, I'm just negotiating what I'm about to say so I don't step on toes and I don't work ever again in the industry. But some people don't have the spirit of excellence. They have this spirit of mistaking their presence for the event, for mediocrity, for just beauty.”
In contrast, Davis explained, “it’s great” to see someone, particularly a young actor, lay their ambitions bare. This, she further noted, is not synonymous with mere ego.
“I saw the ambition in him and he happens to be incredibly talented,” she said, adding that the world “is going to get at you” in the long run, which makes these moments all the more special.
“It’s really great when you go out in the world and you have the chutzpah, you have that self-possession,” Davis said. “That's what I want with my kid.”
Davis previously praised Chalamet’s speech, which he gave after taking home a SAG Award for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, as “beautiful,” telling Access Hollywood during a 2025 red carpet interview that she “completely understood it.”
Chalamet earned his third Oscar nomination for his performance as Marty Mauser in Josh Safdie’s ping pong masterpiece Marty Supreme, which was also up for Best Picture this year. Ultimately, the film, which now stands as A24’s biggest box office hit to date, netted zero wins from nine total nominations.
Next up for Chalamet is the trilogy-concluding Dune: Part Three, a new teaser trailer for which was finally unveiled on Tuesday (March 17). Watch it here.