And on November 1, God gave us Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles in conversation.
Four of the sharpest cheekbones in Hollywood spoke on the phone to discuss social media, masculinity, and that peach scene in Call Me By Your Name for i-D Magazine, and the resulting article (along with the grimiest — in the best way — photos of Chalamet) confirms that Styles and Chalamet are two of the purest boys in the biz right now.
Fans have been waiting for Chalamet and Styles to meet for a very long time, and their long-distance interaction (if they did a photoshoot together, the internet would surely combust) did not disappoint. Styles and Chalamet are a part of a new front of young, sensitive, and sensible actors, who don't really resemble the rough-and-tumble all-American movie stars of years past. They know it. They love it. And they discussed it.
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First, Styles asks Chalamet about how the concept of masculinity has changed for him over the years, and Chalamet admitted he was waiting to ask the singer the same question. "I was going to ask you a version of that question but I worried it would be giving myself too much credit to think I could make a change like that," he says. "But, if you are giving me that license then I would say absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I’m so happy to get on the phone with you because growing up we did have some people to look up to, but it wasn’t as obvious...I would be so thrilled to know that the roles I’m playing are instigating change in some way."
He goes on, struggling to define what exactly it is about him, and Styles, and even Chalamet-counterpart Lucas Hedges, that makes them stand-out. "How do I phrase this? I think there’s something to be written about this by someone way smarter than I am... I want to say you can be whatever you want to be. There isn’t a specific notion, or jean size, or muscle shirt, or affectation, or eyebrow raise, or dissolution, or drug use that you have to take part in to be masculine. It’s exciting. It’s a brave new world."
Styles agrees, adding that he believes his relationship with his mother and sister directly impacted his ability to be vulnerable, and not shy away from the more feminine constructs in life (this is an idea Jonah Hill also touched on in an interview with Refinery29 when talking about his new movie, which coincidentally stars Hedges). "You have this idea of what being masculine is and as you grow up and experience more of the world, you become more comfortable with who you are," he replied. "Today it’s easier to embrace masculinity in so many different things. I definitely find — through music, writing, talking with friends and being open — that some of the times when I feel most confident is when I’m allowing myself to be vulnerable. It’s something that I definitely try and do."
And if you're not already standing up on your desk cheering on our two beautiful, good boys, Chalamet is here to knock it out of the park. "It’s almost a high to be vulnerable," he says. "I really get that. I think it can be achieved in art, but also in intimacy. It’s the craziest feeling to achieve that vulnerability. If us having this conversation, in any infinitesimal way, can help anyone, a guy, a girl, realise that being vulnerable is not a weakness, not a social barrier. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy or hyper emotional, you’re just human, which I think is something your music gets at and hopefully my movies do too. Humans are complex; we need to feel a lot of things. We are not homogeneous."
Yeah, he said "infinitesimal." Such good boys!