Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar has a phenomenal cast, but it’s often easy to forget about or overlook Timothée Chalamet‘s role. The 2014 sci-fi movie puts Matthew McConaughey in the lead role as Joseph Cooper, exploring him leaving Earth to travel the galaxy in search of finding a new planet for humanity to call home.
In usual Nolan fashion, he got some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to tackle the additional roles. Anne Hathaway reunited with the director after The Dark Knight Rises, and frequent Nolan collaborator Michael Caine appeared. Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Topher Grace, Matt Damon, David Oyelowo, Collette Wolf, David Gyasi, Ellen Burstyn, and Mackenzie Foy all were in Interstellar‘s cast. But so too did Timothée Chalamet.
After getting his start on TV with roles in Law & Order and Homeland, Chalamet landed his first major feature film role with Interstellar. However, the young star has less than five minutes of screen time. The brevity of this performance doesn’t take away from its impactfulness, and it stands the test of time as something Chalamet needs to do more of.
Timothée Chalamet’s Interstellar Role Explained
Chalamet’s role in Interstellar is as Coop’s son, Tom, a 15-year-old high school student. Tom is Coop’s oldest child and wants to grow up to be a farmer, just like his dad. However, his time to learn from his father is cut short by Coop’s mission to space, which leaves Tom and his sister Murphy in the care of their grandfather, Donald.
Due to the time dilation that Coop experiences in his cosmic travels, Chalamet’s role becomes almost non-existent after McConaughey’s character leaves Earth. The 15-year-old Tom is seen recording a video message for his dad, but Affleck then takes over the role for future videos and all scenes set on Earth after Coop’s departure.
Chalamet was only 17/18 years old when he made the movie and partnered with Nolan for the first time. The actor would later state in a 2018 interview with Emma Stone as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors that he cried after watching the movie because he thought his role was going to be bigger: “I just figured my part was bigger. They didn’t even cut anything. I just figured… I don’t know what I figured.”
Timothée Chalamet Has Proved He Could Now Lead A Christopher Nolan Movie
Chalamet’s role in Interstellar may not have been as substantial as he would’ve hoped for or what he’d get now, but it just goes to show that a Nolan reunion is necessary. The actor has become one of Hollywood’s biggest 30 and under stars thanks and has more than proven his leading man capabilities in the decade-plus since making Interstellar.
Whether it’s leading the epic sci-fi Dune saga by Denis Villeneuve, playing Bob Dylan, carrying Marty Supreme, or showing a lighter side with Wonka, Chalamet has cemented himself as a true star. He’s become a bankable box office star and a credible awards contender, even if he’s still searching for that first Oscar win. A reunion with Nolan could make that dream a reality.
After all, Nolan has a history of using actors for multiple projects and giving them increasingly bigger roles. Cillian Murphy went from a recurring supporting cast member to the lead of Oppenheimer, while Matt Damon’s cameo in Interstellar paved the way for him leading The Odyssey. There haven’t been many great opportunities for Chalamet and Nolan to work together since Interstellar, though.
He wouldn’t fit the British ensemble for Dunkirk. Him playing John David Washington or Robert Pattinson’s part in Tenet would’ve changed the movie. Oppenheimer could have only used him as a bit player. A case could be made for Chalamet as Telemachus in The Odyssey in place of Tom Holland, but that would give Odysseus’ son a completely different energy.
The reality is that the director and actor haven’t worked together since the 2014 sci-fi movie because there has yet to be a seamless fit for the reunion. Perhaps whatever Nolan does as his The Odyssey follow-up will be where Timothée Chalamet gets another shot after Interstellar.
- Release Date
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November 5, 2014
- Runtime
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169 minutes
- Writers
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Jonathan Nolan
- Producers
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Emma Thomas, Jake Myers, Kip Thorne, Lynda Obst, Jordan Goldberg, Thomas Tull