As Timothée Chalamet has embarked on the publicity tour for his latest film, Marty Supreme, it has become more and more evident that he is one of, if not the best, actors of his generation. All before the age of 30, Chalamet has been nominated for two Academy Awards, along with other accolades, and became the third youngest person to earn the honor when he earned a nomination for 2017’s Call Me by Your Name.

Since this breakthrough, it seems like every creative move has been strategic, and he has more than proven himself across various roles that have showcased his versatile talent. With Marty Supreme, a film that will likely earn him his third Oscar nomination and even possibly a win, Chalamet’s confidence has been on full display in recent interviews that have rubbed many online the wrong way. They’re labeling it narcissism, but they come across more as comments made by a man who knows his worth and knows how much work he has put into his craft.

The recent comments in question came during a recent chat about his performance in Marty Supreme that then pivoted to his work over the last few years. Keep in mind, part of the marketing push for this film has seemed to embrace a sort of showboating that may be performative for the sake of promoting the movie, but here is what he had to say in the interview about his work in his latest project:

“This is probably my best performance, you know, and it’s been like seven, eight years that I’ve been handing in really, really committed top-of-the-line performances. And it’s important to say it out loud because the discipline and the work ethic I’m bringing to these things — I don’t want people to take it for granted. I don’t want to take it for granted. This is really some top-level shit.”

After the comments went viral, Chalamet began to get a wave of criticism from users on social media. Some have been into his supreme confidence and think that he’s perfectly in line to say this while others believe it is completely narcissistic and that, if a woman or person of color made similar comments, they would be chased down by people with pitchforks in hand. I’ve fallen into the former on this because, as an actor, Chalamet has more than proven that he’s one of the best, and there is nothing wrong with being your own personal cheerleader. You have to believe in your own skills first and foremost before seeking the validation and approval of others. Basically, when you walk into a room, you should feel like you’re one of the best because that energy shines through above all else.

Taking his words at face value, his work across the last seven or eight years has been stellar. During that time period, he has starred or co-starred in Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Beautiful Boy, The King, Little Women, The French Dispatch, Dune, Don’t Look Up, Bones and All, Wonka, Dune: Part Two, A Complete Unknown, and now, Marty Supreme. Although not all of these films are a true testament to his talents, a majority of them represent top-notch work from a young actor striving for greatness and making no qualms about doing so.

It would be easy for him to be an actor who stars in the latest blockbuster tentpole of the moment and merely chase box office relevance, but he aspires to be more than that. When it’s all said and done, he wants to be mentioned alongside some of the greats of his generation and perhaps alongside the greats of the generations that came before him. Believing in yourself is something that is ingrained in us at an early age, so why is it such an issue that he’s vocal about it and simply manifesting it?

It could be because Chalamet is a product of a bit of nepotism. His sister Pauline is an actress, his mom Nicole Flender is a former Broadway dancer, and on his mother’s side, he’s the nephew of filmmakers and producers Rodman Flender and Amy Lippman. Between the latter, they have worked on shows such as Party of Five, The Office, Ugly Betty, and more. This represents a significant leg up in the industry, but the nepo-baby argument has never sat well with me.

Most people who were afforded the opportunity would more than likely give someone in their family a chance to shine if they were in a position to do so. Additionally, a lot of the nepotism arguments, speaking strictly about Hollywood, involve individuals who, even though they were given the nepo-baby push, are still quite talented, and their body of work has proven they are much more than the bloodline or associations they have heading into the game.

If Chalamet were a piss-poor actor and making these comments, it would be understandable that people took issue with it, but he isn’t. At 29, soon to be 30 at the end of the month, he has received numerous glowing reviews from critics for his work, and when he has a film released during awards season, he has been rightfully singled out for his work. Unless I’ve lost count, Chalamet has been nominated for three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, and seven SAG awards (this includes individual and ensemble work). It was after he won his most recent SAG Award for A Complete Unknown, a film that saw him portraying Bob Dylan, that he made his intentions very clear during a speech that also received a mixed response:

“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honor of a life time playing him. It’s an honor I share with Monica, Elle, Edward, the entire cast, who, in a genre doing a biopic that could be perhaps tired, everyone gave it their all. So deeply grateful to them. And lastly, I can’t downplay the significance of this award. Cause it means the most to me. And I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight. I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and I want to be up there. So I’m deeply grateful. This doesn’t signify that, but it’s a little more fuel. It’s a little more ammo to keep going. Thank you so much.”

When watching that speech live, I found myself rooting for his confidence, and it wasn’t as if he labeled himself as the greatest. He made sure to mention his inspirations, some within the industry, while others, like Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps, are sports figures who emerged as the best in their respective fields. This is the kind of confidence and determination one needs to navigate a fairly harsh industry. As consumers, the entertainment industry can be fun and bring a lot of joy, but for those in it, there are times when it’s a dog-eat-dog world that can be insanely ruthless. If you don’t match pitch on some level, you can get lost in the shuffle as another actor, actress, director, writer, etc, ascends to the top and becomes the talk of the town. That’s not to say there isn’t room for several greats; it just becomes harder to be considered when you don’t play the game in a strategic way. Essentially, you have to be one step ahead of everyone else.

Addressing some of the criticisms made by others since his comments went viral, I do agree that if a woman had made similar comments or if it had been a person of color, the pushback would be even more severe. It would be naive to suggest that it wouldn’t happen, given the countless examples we have seen in the past. However, when framing this criticism, it does feel unfair to center Chalamet in this when this isn’t something that is his fault. How the public, media, and world at large take in some of these comments isn’t always a product of the person who said them. Chalamet didn’t spout off anything misogynistic or racist when speaking about himself. It was all about his own self-worth, and it’s that belief in himself that has given him a level of swag that some might not understand, and at least the proof is in the content. Chalamet has been putting in the work and is far from a lazy performer.

It does appear that Chalamet knows what to do with criticism when he receives it. While at the LA premiere for Marty Supreme, he addressed feelings of criticism and self-doubt by saying, “I think as you get older, not just in life, but in career, you’re able to kind of block stuff out more. But, yeah, self-doubt […]. If you have one person who’s rooting against you, that’s more reason to be rooting for yourself.” Shouldn’t this be the attitude we celebrate? There is a fine line between being stuck up and confident, and Chalamet doesn’t feel like someone who is vapid and above everyone. He’s about his journey and where it has taken him thus far. Every project seems to get him one step closer to the level he aspires to be.

The Marty Supreme press run might be something that his heightened to hype the narrative of the film, which sees Chalamet portraying a table tennis star in the pursuit of greatness, but much of what he has done during it has rang true. Rappers frequently showboat without much of a whisper about it, while athletes also dabble in self-admiration, with many expressing it’s just a part of the game. Why can’t Chalamet, as an actor, know his worth and be aware of how good the product he has been that he has put out there? It’s a confidence he has always had, but maybe this movie brought more of it out of him. When asked what he takes with him after filming Marty Supreme, the actor said, “The assertiveness, the confidence. Sometimes you got to call things as they are, and not tiptoe. Especially as you get older. I am about to be 30, I want to look back on my interviews in my 60s and say, ‘Man, I was really speaking the truth and not afraid of the truth.’” Sometimes you can’t rely on others to shape your legacy. You have to shape it yourself.

Marty Supreme hits screens nationwide on Christmas Day.

For more on Movies, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

11 Perfect Gifts for Every Movie Lover