Timothee Chalamet: A Different Kind of Jewish Star

There's no question that the entrainment industry is in transition. The dip in movie attendance and subsequent nosedive in year-to-year box office returns have people asking where all the bright young film stars have gone.

Despite this drumbeat of woe, one obvious candidate has stepped forward to pull the sword from the stone and anoint himself the next true king of Tinseltown: Timothée Chalamet.

The star of "Marty Supreme" is on his way to cementing himself as this generation's leading man. What makes this moment especially notable is not just Chalamet's ascent, but that he plays the central character in a Jewish-themed film when Hollywood has become noticeably cautious about overtly Jewish stories.

Chalamet was raised in New York City to a Jewish mother and a French Protestant father. His big break was playing Elio, a gay Jewish teenager in "Call Me by Your Name." According to The Jewish Chronicle, Chalamet identifies as Jewish and the paper cites his mother's Instagram account as proof, showing pictures of young Chalamet partaking in Passover and Hanukkah. He also evidently handed out bagels on the red carpet at the premiere of "The King" on Rosh HaShanah.

As his stardom has grown, Chalamet has consistently chosen challenging films which he promotes with the zeal of a Tasmanian tiger. In this way, Chalamet's public persona has come to resemble his character in "Marty Supreme:" the ambitious, abrasive, and magnetic table tennis hustler Marty Mauser.

Chalamet's candidness during the press tour for "Marty Supreme" has led to controversy, including his recent remark "I don't want to be working in in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.'"

In an age when a celebrity's every remark is scrutinized, Chalamet has made no bones about his ambitions. He has described "Marty Supreme" as his best acting role yet. On "Good Morning America," he made comments that seem to hint at an eventual Oscar win. In his SAG Award acceptance speech for his portrayal of Bob Dylan, he stated, "I want to be one of the greats. I'm inspired by the greats…I'm as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps, and I want to be up there."

He recently clarified, "if you grew up like Marty, particularly if you grew up like me, you believe in figures that make you dream… That's why I try to own it. I'm not shying away from it. I'm not being fake humble where I don't feel it. And equally, I'm leaving it behind for someone that I hope I'm inspiring."

The real-life ping-pong hustler Mauser is based on, Marty Reisman, would've likely approved. Consumed with winning at all costs and unafraid to express his own unvarnished opinions, Reisman was, for better or worse, a true American showman. In telling his story, actor and subject seem to share common ground.

So, what are we to make of this outpouring of bravado? What does it say about Chalamet's portrayal of Jewishness, both onscreen and in his public life?

It's instructive to compare Marty Mauser to another recent prominent Jewish character: László Tóth in "The Brutalist," played by Adrien Brody. Tóth is a Holocaust survivor who's haunted, traumatized, and burdened by memory. Like "The Brutalist," "Marty Supreme" takes place in the early 1950s. The Holocaust is addressed only briefly, by way of a bizarre flashback in which Marty's table-tennis playing friend recounts using honey to help save his fellow inmates in Auschwitz. According to the website Hey Alma, this story is rooted in truth. There are many interpretations of the meaning of this scene. I believe that writer/director Josh Safdie was indicating this isn't just a Holocaust movie and Marty isn't defined by his trauma.

Unlike the taciturn, pensive Tóth, Marty is brash, cocky, and very American. He is unburdened by the war. His only reason for existing is competition. He survives through relentlessness. Most importantly, he refuses to apologize for wanting more.

It would be easy to overstate the significance of one performance, one actor, and one awards cycle. A celebrity being Jewish and proud is not necessarily an antidote to antisemitism. However, "Marty Supreme" offers us a different kind of Jewish character and a different kind of Jewish movie star. Chalamet and Mauser's identities exist without explanation or apology. Despite all the loud talk, there's something quietly powerful about that.