‘Gross’ or ‘inspiring’? Timothée Chalamet’s ‘I want to be one of the greats’ SAG speech splits opinion

On Sunday, Timothée Chalamet became the youngest person to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Leading Actor, marking the occasion with a speech that generated quite the response online.

The 29-year-old accepted the accolade for his performance in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which he described as “the honor of a lifetime.” Chalamet confessed that he had “poured everything [he] had” into the role, which, he said, represented “five and a half years of [his] life.”

After dedicating the trophy, known as the Actor, to his mother who accompanied him to the event, and the cast of the film — Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning, and Edward Norton — Chalamet spoke about what winning meant to him, in what he calls his “pursuit of greatness.” False humility, it’s now obvious, is not a part of this young performer’s vocabulary, nor does he seem interested in making it so.

“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me” he started, adding, “I can’t downplay the significance of this award, because it means the most to me.” “The truth is,” Chalamet continued, “I’m really in pursuit of greatness.”

The actor then went on to list the masters of the craft who inspired him, including Daniel Day Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis, as well two athletes he considers role models — Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan. “I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats… I want to be up there,” he concluded, clarifying that while the SAG Award — his first major recognition — doesn’t signify that he’s made it on the list, it does add “a little more fuel” to that journey.

The brutal honesty and eagerness rubbed some the wrong way. Chalamet was accused of treating acting like a sport or a competition, with the attitude getting labeled as “gross.” Although nearly everyone in the industry wants to win an award just as much as, if not more than Chalamet, they’re meant to treat the silverware as the cherry on top of the proverbial cake. The cake being the craft of acting and the chance to further it by lending their talents to worthwhile projects.

One of the most prominent dissenting voices was Grace Randolph’s. The popular film critic and commentator felt that the speech was “inappropriate.” “Everyone in the entire room feels the same way, including the people who just lost in his category,” she explained, presumably referencing the implication that by wanting to be “one of the greats” then Chalamet wants to be better than most, including some in the room listening to his speech. She went on to call the speech “extremely insensitive” for “[making] it seem like maybe those other actors just aren’t working hard enough.”

Of course, Chalamet didn’t actually say any of those things, but it’s understandable that some would feel that he was implying them. The overwhelming majority, however, applauded the actor’s ambition, and especially his bluntness about it — a trait that is scarce in Hollywood.

“Timmy talks like he’s chasing a ring. GOAT mentality. We have no choice but to stan,” said one fan on X. “You really don’t hear people speak it out loud how much they want to be great and the pursuit of that greatness. Inspiring stuff,” added another.

At 29, Chalamet has been nominated for two Oscars, four BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and seven SAG Awards. He’s been a part of seven Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards, playing the lead in four of them. This year, he’s the face of two, A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two. If he wins the Best Actor award, he’ll break the record for youngest winner, currently held by his biggest competitor — Adrien Brody. The Academy Awards air Sunday, Mar. 2 on ABC.