A Jewish action hero, no matter how badass, always had to be connected to Judaism in his mission. Jewish action heroes have existed in recent times - with notable portrayals in "Inglourious Basterds" and "Hunters" - but rarely outside the context of the Holocaust. 22 marked yet another watershed moment in the young actor's career, as he celebrated the dual release of Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" and Denis Villneuve's adaptation of "Dune," underscoring his versatility as both an indie darling and action hero. He has proven that he is no one-trick pony, snapping up everything from the period dramas "Little Women" and "The King," to sci-fi blockbusters, each gaining him a gaggle of new admirers. Not even four years after the release of "Call Me by Your Name," Chalamet has racked up career accomplishments that rival actors twice his age. (Though the film is undeniably Jewish, it isn't one that requires a working knowledge of Jewish traditions, which non-members could find confusing.) Thanks to Chalamet's rising star, the unflattering narrative of the Jewish man began to dissipate overnight. Such an accessible, yet unabashedly Jewish film earning momentous fanfare undoubtedly helped legitimize the restoration of the Cool Jew. The actor has noted the integral thread of Judaism that runs through "Call Me by Your Name," calling it "a driving force in the film," in a 2017 interview. Elio himself soon begins to rep a Star of David pendant, just as Oliver had since the film's beginning.Ĭhalamet's Jewish heritage (his mother is Jewish-American, with Russian and Austrian roots) was critical to his portrayal of Elio. Running parallel to his revelation of queerness, Elio struggles to find a comfortable existence within his Jewish identity, telling his lover Oliver that the Perlmans were self-described "Jews of discretion." Throughout the film, Elio's relationship with his Jewish heritage intertwines with his relationship with Oliver. The role is one of particular importance to modern Jewry. It was Chalamet's leading role of Elio Perlman in "Call Me by Your Name" that cemented his wunderkind status in Hollywood. RELATED: "Dune" is the masterful adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic we've been waiting for It became obvious: the Cool Jew was back. He handed out bagels at the premiere of "The King" - on Rosh Hashanah, no less. Rumors swirled of him mingling with actresses and models. Chalamet had fans swooning over two particular words in "Lady Bird": "Good girl." Director Greta Gerwig called him "a young Christian Bale crossed with a young Daniel Day-Lewis with a sprinkle of young Leonardo DiCaprio." He secured an Academy Award nomination for "Call Me by Your Name," one of the youngest to ever do so. The 20 releases of "Lady Bird" and "Call Me by Your Name" launched a young, dark-haired Jewish actor with cheekbones to spare named Timothée Chalamet into instant celebrity. With "Seinfeld," "Knocked Up" and "Grown Ups" modeling Jewish men onscreen, there existed several decades in which the only available role in popular culture was that of a jester. Following the abundance of Jewish sex appeal of the '60s and '70s came a period of decline, when Jewish men were no longer innately associated with mob bosses, seducers and action heroes. "The Godfather," "Jaws" and "The Graduate" were in the rearview, and cultural stereotypes of neurotic, emasculated men overtook the narrative. Jews in the zeitgeist had regressed, as Marchese put it, from badasses to jackasses. In their places stood Jerry Seinfeld, Seth Rogen, and Adam Sandler, who were deep trenches of playing schmucks and schlubs. Gone were the days of James Caan heading up a powerful crime family, Richard Dreyfuss taking on a killer shark, and Dustin Hoffman seducing a mother-daughter duo. In 2006, David Marchese, Salon's then-associate music editor, wrote an impassioned lamentation on the decline of the Cool Jew.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |