Chalamet vs. Brody: Recap of the Oscars
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On March 2, 2025, the 97th Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood Over a month later, controversies still linger about the recipients of the coveted awards. As one of the most elite, A-list award shows approaches its century-long anniversary, film fans are questioning the legitimacy of the winners at the 2025 Oscars. A controversy that shook the internet the most was Timothée Chalamet’s loss to Adrien Brody.
This nomination was 29-year-old Chalamet’s second shot at the best actor award after losing in 2018 for his performance as Elio in “Call Me by Your Name”. Chalamet was up for the category again this year for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in the biopic “A Complete Unknown”.
Brody currently holds the record for the youngest to ever win best actor at 29 years and 343 days old, which was for his 2003 movie “The Pianist”. Chalamet, at the time of the 2025 Oscars, was 29 years and 65 days. Had Chalamet won, he would have broken Brody's record, but for now Brody's record has continued to be untouched.
Chalamet’s “A Complete Unknown” was released on Dec. 25, 2024, and has over a 95 percent rating from over 5,000 viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. Chalamet was deeply dedicated to his role as Bob Dylan, spending over five years perfecting his portrayal. He also gained over 20 pounds, learned to play the guitar and the harmonica, and spent hours learning to sing with vocal coaches. The actor did everything he could to capture the image of young Bob Dylan. Despite the public approval and recognition of his effort, Chalamet did not fulfill his dream of winning best actor.
Adrien Brody has also received 2 nominations for best actor in his lifetime, both of which he has won. His latest movie, “The Brutalist,” is about a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor who comes to America to rebuild his life.
On Rotten Tomatoes, “The Brutalist” scored 15 percentage points lower than “A Complete Unknown”. With one film receiving a 95 percent and the other receiving 80 percent, fans were shocked that Chalamet’s embodiment of Dylan came short for the award. However, Brody’s raw emotion and originality of his performance is certainly a reason for his success in this role, and a significant factor in winning the best actor award.
Although Chalamet might have gotten another nomination with no win, he is still a young actor with talent and potential. Future roles are sure to see the same dedication he put into his Dylan portrayal, and with his whole career ahead of him, do not be shocked if he wins best actor in the future.
