It was only a matter of time before Martin Scorsese and Timothée Chalamet worked together. But unfortunately, it’s not for a big screen project; instead, it’s for a Chanel ad. This might not be the project we were all hoping for but it’s still a compelling commercial and hopefully the start of a genuine working relationship.
The Scorsese and Chalamet Chanel ad briefly opens with an almost Who’s That Knocking at My Door? rawness, with Chalamet waking too late for an appointment and being rushed into a waiting car, where he’ll be taken to a late night talk show appearance. Complete with a nearly constantly moving camera and a charismatic turn from Chalamet, it’s actually a pretty snazzy ad for a product most of us will never buy.
As described by Chanel, the commercial offers “an invitation to discover the many facets of a man who is forging his own path. An actor’s conflict between celebrity and staying true to himself. A dialogue between Timothée Chalamet’s artistic sensibility and Martin Scorsese’s virtuosity.”
Prior to Chalamet, Scorsese actually directed Gaspard Ulliel during his own Bleu de Chanel campaign. He, too, has helmed ads for the likes of Armani, American Express and Squarespace (with daughter Francesca). His most famous commerical might be The Audition, which had a staggering budget of $70 million, partly due to its cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Brad Pitt.
On working with Scorsese, Chalamet told GQ, “I think the commercial was sort of a great creative setting to meet on. It wasn’t really a high-pressure thing. Obviously there’s a greater purpose to create something for Chanel there, but on a much more basic elemental level, it was getting to meet as two creatives, and do what he does masterfully, and me acting, and on a playing field that doesn’t have the pressures and realities of working on a movie for three to six months that has some sort of bottom line to it.”
While no reunion is currently planned for Scorsese and Chalamet, the actor did say he was grateful enough to have the chance to do a commercial with the director, especially since it was filmed in New York. Chalamet has another New York-centric project on the horizon, playing Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown.
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