The acting talents of Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet caught the eye of Hollywood producers looking to cast the perfect male actor in the lead role of a highly-anticipated soon-to-be-released film.
Actors Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet have many things in common, despite the differences in the types of films in which they’ve starred over the years. Both have amassed multiple big-name film credits on their respective acting resumes, and both are in high demand in Hollywood. And recently, both were in the running for a coveted role in a long-overdue film at Warner Bros.
Because they are the same age and because of their undeniable popularity, Holland and Chalamet are often mentioned in the same sentence. Both actors are 27 years old and each has a career that rivals the other’s. Tom Holland’s name is nearly synonymous with the Spider-Man films, and Timothée Chalamet is the face of the Dune film franchise.
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Tom Holland’s Career in Hollywood
Tom Holland, 27, began his acting career in the theater in 2008 when he played a supporting role in Billy Elliot the Musical. Soon after, Holland began playing the title role in the musical–a role he embraced until 2010. His film debut was in The Impossible (2012) alongside actress Naomi Watts and actor Ewan McGregor. A year later, he appeared in How I Live Now (2013) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015) with Chris Hemsworth.
Holland joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016, playing Peter Parker and Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Holland played that role in seven of the franchise’s films, including the stand-alone films Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Far From Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021). He has also starred in the films The Devil All the Time (2020), Disney/PIXAR’s Onward (2020), Cherry (2021), and Uncharted (2022).
Timothée Chalamet’s Acting Career
Timothée Chalamet, also 27, started acting in television as a teenager, first appearing in the SHOWTIME drama series Homeland in 2012. Two years later, in 2014, Chalamet made his film debut with a role in Men, Women, & Children and appeared in the science fiction film Interstellar by Christopher Nolan.
Chalamet first garnered international attention when he starred in the coming-of-age film Call Me By Your Name (2017). His role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He also had supporting roles in Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019). More recently, Chalamet played Paul Atreides in the science-fiction film Dune (2021). The second installment in the Dune franchise is slated to make its box office debut in March 2024.
Tapped for the Same Quirky Role
The latest issue of Total Film Magazine offers confirmation that both Holland and Chalamet were considered for the lead role in the upcoming prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), titled Wonka. News of Holland being considered for the role came in 2021 when the film was originally given a release date.
Ultimately, the part of Willy Wonka, the quirky chocolatier, was given to Timothée Chalamet. Producer David Heyman praised Chalamet’s talents, saying he has the exact qualities needed for the Wonka character in the film.
“[Chalamet] is a great actor, eminently likable, he has a twinkle in his eye, he’s very sensitive,” said Wonka producer David Heyman. “[He] can handle the comedy, the drama, the emotion. He’s got a voice like an angel. You always feel that there’s a truth to his performance. He’s warm and really tender, but he’s hip.”
Heyman also said that Chalamet’s role in Wonka will be “different from what we’ve seen” of the actor in his career up to this point.
“This is different from what we’ve seen of Timmy,” Heyman explained. “He’s very ambitious for his craft. He wants to work with people who are going to challenge him, in roles that are going to challenge him.”
Wonka director Paul King agreed with Heyman, saying that of all the actors who’ve embodied the character of Willy Wonka, Chalamet is his favorite.
“I just think he’s absolutely one of the great actors of his generation,” King said. “He’s incredibly present. He’s so extraordinarily precise, and he can sing, dance, he’s very funny, and he has that slightly unknowable, manic kind of strangeness. Some wonderful, wonderful actors have played Willy Wonka, but he’s my favorite.”