I thought that I was ready for the cryfest that is Steve Carrell and Timothée Chalamet's film Beautiful Boy, but the father-son relationship at the center of the movie might be even more intense than its heartbreaking trailer lets on.
Based on the story of real-life father and son David and Nic Sheff (the latter of whom would go on to write for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why), Beautiful Boy is about Nic's battle with addiction, and David's struggle to save Nic from the disease.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chalamet discusses the moment depicted in the initial trailer for the film — one in which Carrell's David meets his wayward son in hopes to bring him home. The conversation is tense, and David looks heartbroken over his inability to reach his child.
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"The love between father and son ignores the elephant in the room at first, and then they’re both wholly confronted by it when simple conversation is made impossible," the Call Me By Your Name star told the outlet. "By the end of the scene, I think they are both reeling from their inability to help the relationship, or Nic’s addiction."
While the relationship between David and Nic is certainly complicated and fraught, Chalamet stated that he learned a lot from his onscreen father during the making of the new drama.
"[Carrell] has this kind of incredible combination of humanity and professionalism, it makes you want to be around him and work with him," the Lady Bird actor revealed.
The feeling is mutual. At CinemaCon earlier this year, Carrell told the audience that his co-star was "one of the most profound young people I’ve ever met."
Clearly, these two actors worked diligently to create a realistic, if heartbreaking depiction of a relationship torn apart by forces outside of both their control. If the trailer is already bringing tears, we can only imagine how powerful the film will be.
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