Timothee Chalamet Should've Been Oscar-Nominated for 'Dune - Part Two,' Not 'A Complete Unknown'

Timothée Chalamet just secured his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, an incredibly impressive feat considering he is only 29 years old. But even more impressive is that his other leading performance from 2024 is arguably even more worthy of the accolade. Chalamet certainly does a great job of disappearing into the role of Dylan, and, unlike some other screen portrayals of real celebrities, does not fall into the trap of doing a cartoonish impression, but Paul Atreides’ epic story arc from Dune: Part Two allowed him to show much more of his considerable range. That, along with the generally stronger writing of the science fiction blockbuster, allowed him to deliver an even more memorable performance.

Timothée Chalamet Shows More Emotion in 'Dune: Part Two' Than in 'A Complete Unknown'

Again, Chalamet’s version of Dylan certainly comes across as a real, believable person. That said, most of the biopic focuses on scenes from the musician’s life in which he is experiencing varying levels of frustration, whether with the state of the music industry, global politics, or, often, both. Even many of the scenes showing Dylan alongside love interests Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictionalized version of Suze Rotolo, and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) are tainted by the negative emotions provoked by this frustration, with most of the too-brief glimpses at warmer sides of Dylan’s personality coming during his visits to his hospitalized idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy).

The drastic changes Paul goes through in Dune: Part Two allow Chalamet to depict more wildly varying emotions. Although the character lost most of his innocence when his father and much of his family were killed, just as he started experiencing visions of horrific possible futures in the first film, Part Two still starts with Paul as a mostly earnest character that the viewer naturally wants to support. His determination to get revenge against Houses Harkonnen and Corrino for carrying out the treacherous attack on his family is present from the beginning, foreshadowing the character’s darker fate. However, for much of the film, he still abides by a moral code, refusing to take advantage of his place in a religious prophecy that many of his Fremen allies believe in, which, in reality, was constructed as a piece of strategic propaganda by the intergalactic organization known as the Bene Gesserit.

Paul's Sympathetic Qualities Make 'Dune: Part Two' Tragic

Paul develops genuine affection for the Fremen, especially mentor Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and future lover Chani (Zendaya), and firmly asserts that he only wants to fight alongside and learn from them as an equal, not play the role of a supposed messiah. Many of his early interactions with Stilgar are lighthearted and humorous and the obvious puppy dog love with which he looks at Chani makes the character relatable by emphasizing that, ultimately, he is still just a young man trying to protect his loved ones and find his best possible future. The true love between him and Chani contrasts particularly sharply with Paul’s later ruthlessness.

Making his eventual fall from grace even more tragic is the fact that many of his loved ones, including Chani, urge him toward it in various ways. After the Harkonnens carry out an especially devastating attack on a Fremen community, Stilgar and others tell a reluctant Paul to attend an upcoming war council at which they believe he can ascend to a leadership position. Despite not believing in the prophecy and being frightened of the potential it could exert on her people, Chani herself even reassures Paul that he can do so without becoming corrupted, after which he tearfully states that, “I will do what must be done.”

Chalamet is terrifyingly authoritative in subsequent scenes in which Paul seizes control of the Fremen, and, especially, when he leads the final assault on the Harkonnens and Corrinos. However, his performance also continues to emphasize how heartbroken the character is to take the actions he does, as he knows that doing so will provoke an incredibly destructive galactic war and lead Chani to leave him, at least temporarily. Working in concert, the writing and his work allow the film to provoke the same complicated mix of emotions Frank Herbert’s Dune novel does, in turn resulting in one of the best films of 2024. While his performance in A Complete Unknown is not quite as powerful, the fact that he's led two films that have achieved such success in one year is a testament to Chalamet's talent.

Dune: Part Two is available to watch on Max in the U.S.

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