There’s a complex relationship that exists between Hollywood A-listers and the paparazzi. Some stars relish the attention and initiate what are known as setups. (And if you’re Kanye West, you even direct photogs on how to film you.) Of course, in most cases though, it would seem that celebrities prefer to avoid the attention that they receive from camera people. Timothée Chalamet is apparently one such person who would prefer not to be photographed in certain instances. With that, he recently recalled a moment in which he was “sprinting” so that someone couldn’t get a good photo of him. Ultimately, however, Chalamet still ended up being caught in what sounds like one of the worst pap photos ever.
The 28-year-old star has recently been doing press for Dune: Part Two, which we know a lot about. As part of that, he appeared in a fun Off the Cuff segment for Vogue, which included two of his co-stars, Florence Pugh and Zendaya. One of the subjects presented to the group was how they first met each other. The Paul Atreides actor recalled that he first crossed paths with Pugh at an awards season dinner several years ago. While he teased that the situation wasn’t totally appropriate, both he and Pugh referred to it as “really lovely and friendly.” However, the leading man also mentioned an embarrassing moment that occurred when he arrived to the event:
That was the [awards] dinner where I got there and then there was like one camera guy in front of the restaurant. I thought, ‘OK if I sprint they’re not going to get me!’ But then they got a picture of me with the dumbest sprint where I got a double chin poking out. I don’t look athletic.
And here I used to get nervous over the thought of simply posing or smiling awkwardly in a school picture. This sounds like a whole other level of embarrassment, though, and I don’t envy the fan-favorite actor for having been in that situation. He didn’t sound too bothered by the moment while discussing it in the segment, which was shared to YouTube. If anything, the Wonka star seems to be able to see the humor in it.
Celebrity interactions with the paparazzi can definitely vary by person and be impacted by specific circumstances. Someone who’s been photographed many times over the years is Jennifer Lopez, who even hurled an F-bomb at photographers at a gym. Matthew McConaughey has also had run-ins with photogs eager to get snapshots of him. Interestingly though, a situation involving his kid and a fire truck made him realize that dodging the paparazzi isn’t always worth it.
Timothée Chalamet has been in front of cameras a lot as of late due to his latest flick, and he and his fellow Dune: Part Two cast members seem to be enjoying it. Of course, the kinds of photographers he’s mostly been in front of as of late are those who are assigned to cover movie premieres and other press events. Aside from that, he’s also been making headlines due to his reported relationship with media personality Kylie Jenner, and a few photos have been snapped of them as of late.
Chances are the Oscar nominee will have his photo taken by more than a few members of the paparazzi throughout the remainder of his career. That may sound daunting, but I would argue that there could be a silver lining to the situation. At the very least, I’d imagine that he (hopefully) couldn’t find himself caught in a more embarrassing moment than when he tried to outrun that camera guy.
You can see Timothée Chalamet sprint, fight and even ride a sandworm in Dune: Part Two, which opens in theaters on March 1 as part of the 2024 movie schedule. You can also stream its 2021 predecessor using a Max subscription.