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He added: Chalamet is so good its worth seeingBeautiful Boyfor his work alone.
He may not look like a brooding tough-guy, anymore.
Todays leading man is a more sensitive, thoughtful person.
Timothee Chalamet exhibits a version of that.
Hes symbolic of the emotional young man.
Thats what makes him different, says an Oscar strategist acquainted with Chalamet.
Theyre mostly on TV.
You have a different Academy with all the new people in it.
It used to be 50-50 with old farts, the strategist notes.
Its now a lot younger, a little more savvy.
Theres a different actors branch.
The Academy membership has changed.
To be sure, for some of the industrys old farts, Chalamet can be an acquired taste.
Hes pretty fey, says one veteran studio hand and Academy voter in his 60s.
He might be the next Anthony Perkins, rather than the next Leo.
The way I define and break down my male actors is very specific, the producer says.
Leonardo DiCaprio is alpha.
When Timothee walked out of the room, he was beta for me.
Were seeing a complete course-shift around the alpha males in Hollywood.
Were redefining what it means to be a man.
Girls love him now because I dont think theyre scared of him, the producer adds.
Theyre falling in love with the idea of a good guy.
And audiences support that.
Thats why Tom Hanks is so great.
Hes always the good guy.
Youre selling the new male.
At some point, hes got to make a more commercial choice, says Unger.
The comparison for me: He has everything we loved about River Phoenix and Heath Ledger.
Those guys in their day were revelations as young actors.
They really are molding him and picking right.
And looking at the careers of Leonardo DiCaprio or Joaquin Phoenix, those guys exclusively work with great directors.
So I said to myself, if you do a big movie, double-check its with a great director.
