Timothée Chalamet, whose startling performance as a precocious teenager who falls in love with a handsome lodger has prompted talk of an Oscar, is one of five nominees for this year’s Bafta rising star award.
The American actor has been shortlisted along with Florence Pugh, Tessa Thompson, Josh O’Connor and Daniel Kaluuya for the only Bafta voted for by the British public.
Chalamet’s leading role, with Armie Hammer, in the gay coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name has drawn much critical praise.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it a remarkable performance, while Anthony Lane, in the New Yorker, said he could not imagine how the film would work without Chalamet. “His expression is sharp and inquisitive, but cream-pale and woundable, too, and saved from solemnity by the grace of good humour,” he wrote.
Chalamet, whose first big role was the vice-president’s rebellious son in season 2 of Homeland, has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and many expect an Oscar nomination to follow.
His Bafta rising star nomination was announced at the organisation’s Piccadilly headquarters on Thursday. The prize has been running for 13 years and previous winners include James McAvoy, Shia LaBeouf, Kristen Stewart, Tom Hardy and John Boyega.
Chalamet said it was an incredible honour to be shortlisted. “I have seen many actors and peers that I admire get nominated for this award in previous years, so I am overjoyed to see my name included in 2018,” he said.
“Call Me By Your Name came out in the UK prior to the States, and British audiences embraced the film in a uniquely strong and passionate way. I feel an enduring sense of gratitude seeing this response echoed around the world, and for being included in this category.”
Pugh is one of three British actors nominated. She won praise for her commanding performance as Katherine in the 19th-century Northumberland-set Lady Macbeth. She said: “The journey to get to this rewarding moment has been exhilarating, and so to feel recognition for doing something I love and the hard work many have put in feels very touching. It’s a very proud moment indeed.”
The other British nominees are Kaluuya, who has had a number of prominent TV and film roles including in Skins and Johnny English Reborn before shooting to bigger fame for his role in the comedy horror Get Out. The London-born star, 28, who will soon be seen on the big screen in Marvel’s much-anticipated Black Panther, spoke of his admiration for the work of previous nominees, adding: “I’m honoured and grateful to Bafta and the jury for the nomination and can’t wait to celebrate it in my home city.”
Josh O’Connor, who has been on TV in Peaky Blinders and The Durrells and last year played a gay and angry young sheep farmer in the film God’s Own Country, said: “It was such a special experience making God’s Own Country and I don’t think any of us working on the Yorkshire Moors filming this intimate story expected the incredible journey it has been on in the past year.”
The list is completed by LA-born actor Thompson, last seen as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok.
Voting is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA and the winner will be announced at the Bafta ceremony on 18 February.
It comes at a difficult time for the film industry, which continues to be rocked by the sexual harassment scandal. Bafta’s chief executive, Amanda Berry, said she would support any of the winners who wanted to speak about the issue on stage.
She said: “People obviously feel it’s a very powerful platform. The film awards go out globally so that makes it even more powerful, so we never say to people ‘don’t say anything, please just thank the crew or whatever it is’. Because if somebody feels passionately about it, they are going to say it.”
