How Timothée Chalamet's drama teacher helped him change his life

CBS News

17-02-2025

On a cold day in January, actor Timothée Chalamet and 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper sat in Cafe Wha?, a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village.
Over 60 years ago, Bob Dylan had arrived from Minnesota and made his debut in the New York City folk scene there.
Chalamet, now nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Dylan in "A Complete Unknown," spoke about what makes New York City a formative place for artists.
"Your self-expression, and your creativity… that's your armor," he told Cooper.
"I think New York shapes that, you know? And it brings that out of you."
Chalamet grew up in a rent- subsidized apartment complex in New York City that was full of artists.
His mother, Nicole Flender, was a dancer and works with the Actors' Equity Association. His older sister, Pauline, an actress, was a student at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Chalamet booked occasional acting jobs as a child, even appearing on an episode of "Law & Order" when he was 12. But he didn't dream of becoming an actor.
A turning point in his life was when he applied to LaGuardia High School. The audition process is highly competitive and the school has produced some of the most famous and talented actors in the film industry.
Alumni include Adrien Brody, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Paulson, and Adrien Grenier.
Harry Shifman, who was a drama teacher at LaGuardia for 26 years, played a transformative role in Chalamet's life when he scored his audition.
"I do remember going, 'Who is this?'" Shifman told Cooper.
"You're seeing a parade of them. I'd see 200 kids. And all of a sudden, this guy shows up and… it's unexpected."
Shifman told Cooper the young actors he evaluated usually had one of two skills: they either connected emotionally, or they have "style and flair, and can use their voice and their face."
"It's rare to see a kid at that age who has both of those things happening," he said.
Shifman gave Chalamet a five in every category, the highest score a prospective student could achieve.
"I rarely gave a five in anything," he said.
But to his shock, he said he later learned from Chalamet's sister, Pauline, that Timothée's application had been rejected.
"I interrupted a meeting of the principal," he told Cooper, laughing.
He asked for her to reconsider Chalamet's application, saying "This is a student we must have. This is a real actor."
Shifman's intervention worked. Chalamet was eventually accepted to LaGuardia.
"That was literally life changing," Chalamet told 60 Minutes.
Chalamet said everything "clicked" during his freshman year. He credits Shifman and other teachers he had at LaGuardia, including Sandy Faison, for helping him find a way to express himself.
"[LaGuardia] was a fantastic place for me to go. It totally shaped who I am and who I was… I just felt like I could be however I wanted to be."
Chalamet and Shifman still stay in touch, and for "A Complete Unknown," they discussed the script and character together.
"I said that to Shif…'If I would have had to go to a different high school, I wouldn't have been an actor.'"
"He said, 'Oh, you would have found your way to it.' I really don't know."
Chalamet was reluctant to talk about his process with Anderson Cooper. He prefers to "protect the magic" of acting.
"The more I talk about it, the harder it is to do it," he said.
Cooper asked Shifman what he thought of Chalamet's performance in the final scene of "Call Me by Your Name," a film that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2018.
In the scene, Chalamet's character, a heartbroken teenager, is sitting in front of a fireplace with tears in his eyes.
"It's like you want the catharsis of that …powerful moment to be expressed. And he leaves you there," Shifman said.
Shifman considers Chalamet a prodigy in the acting world.
"I do think everyone can develop their creativity. But not everybody is Mozart," he told Cooper.
"I think he has beautiful gifts, and a kind heart, and a willingness to really work hard… it's pretty impressive."
The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer.