How one of Timothée Chalamet's drama teachers changed his life

How a play teacher helped Timothée Chalamet

How Timothée Chalamet's play teacher helped him alteration his life 05:20

On a acold time successful January, histrion Timothée Chalamet and 60 Minutes analogous Anderson Cooper sat successful Cafe Wha?, a nightclub successful New York City's Greenwich Village. 

Over 60 years ago, Bob Dylan had arrived from Minnesota and made his debut successful the New York City people country there. 

Chalamet, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Dylan successful "A Complete Unknown," spoke astir what makes New York City a formative spot for artists.

"Your self-expression, and your creativity… that's your armor," helium told Cooper.

"I deliberation New York shapes that, you know? And it brings that retired of you."

Chalamet grew up successful a rent- subsidized flat analyzable successful New York City that was afloat of artists.

His mother, Nicole Flender, was a dancer and works with the Actors' Equity Association. His older sister, Pauline, an actress, was a pupil astatine Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Chalamet booked occasional acting jobs arsenic a child, adjacent appearing connected an occurrence of "Law & Order" erstwhile helium was 12. But helium didn't imagination of becoming an actor.

A turning constituent successful his beingness was erstwhile helium applied to LaGuardia High School. The audition process is highly competitive, and the schoolhouse has produced immoderate of the astir celebrated and talented actors successful the movie industry.

Alumni see Adrien Brody, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Paulson, and Adrien Grenier. 

Harry Shifman, who was a play teacher astatine LaGuardia for 26 years, played a transformative relation successful Chalamet's beingness erstwhile helium scored his audition.

"I bash retrieve going, 'Who is this?'" Shifman told Cooper.

"You're seeing a parade of them. I'd spot 200 kids. And each of a sudden, this feline shows up and… it's unexpected."

Shifman told Cooper the young actors helium evaluated usually had 1 of 2 skills: they either connected emotionally, oregon they person "style and flair, and tin usage their dependable and their face."

"It's uncommon to spot a kid astatine that property who has some of those things happening," helium said.

Shifman gave Chalamet a 5 successful each category, the highest people a prospective pupil could achieve.

"I seldom gave a 5 successful anything," helium said.

But to his shock, helium said helium aboriginal learned from Chalamet's sister, Pauline, that Timothée's exertion had been rejected. 

"I interrupted a gathering of the principal," helium told Cooper, laughing.

He asked for her to reconsider Chalamet's application, saying, "This is simply a pupil we indispensable have. This is simply a existent actor."

Shifman's involution worked. Chalamet was yet accepted to LaGuardia.

"That was virtually beingness changing," Chalamet told 60 Minutes.

Chalamet said everything "clicked" during his freshman year. He credits Shifman and different teachers helium had astatine LaGuardia, including Sandy Faison, for helping him find a mode to explicit himself.

"[LaGuardia] was a fantastic spot for maine to go. It wholly shaped who I americium and who I was… I conscionable felt similar I could beryllium nevertheless I wanted to be."

Chalamet and Shifman inactive enactment successful touch, and for "A Complete Unknown," they discussed the publication and quality together.  

"I said that to Shif…'If I would person had to spell to a antithetic precocious school, I wouldn't person been an actor.'"

"He said, 'Oh, you would person recovered your mode to it.' I truly don't know."

Chalamet was reluctant to speech astir his process with Anderson Cooper. He prefers to "protect the magic" of acting.

"The much I speech astir it, the harder it is to bash it," helium said.

Cooper asked Shifman what helium thought of Chalamet's show successful the last country of "Call Me by Your Name," a movie that earned him an Oscar information for Best Actor successful 2018.

In the scene, Chalamet's character, a heartbroken teenager, is sitting successful beforehand of a fireplace with tears successful his eyes.

"It's similar you privation the catharsis of that …powerful infinitesimal to beryllium expressed. And helium leaves you there," Shifman said.

Shifman considers Chalamet a prodigy successful the acting world.

"I bash deliberation everyone tin make their creativity. But not everybody is Mozart," helium told Cooper.

"I deliberation helium has beauteous gifts, and a benignant heart, and a willingness to truly enactment hard… it's beauteous impressive."

The video supra was primitively published connected February 16, 2025. It was produced by Will Croxton and edited by Sarah Shafer.