Golden Globes: Will Timothée Chalamet break the ‘Wonka’ curse?
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Just before he reaches the age of 28, Timothée Chalamet will very likely achieve his third Golden Globe (and first Best Comedy/Musical Actor) nomination for “Wonka.” Following his previous bids for “Call Me By Your Name” (drama, 2018) and “Beautiful Boy” (supporting, 2019), this notice would make him the youngest man to have ever vied for all three possible film Golden Globes, smashing a record set by 35-year-old James Caan in 1976. He would also make history due to the fact that he would be the third actor recognized by this organization for playing Willy Wonka, thus putting the fictional chocolatier on a very short list of film characters that have inspired at least three Golden Globe nominations.
Directed and co-written by Paul King (“Paddington”), “Wonka” serves as an origin story for its title character, who was first introduced in the 1964 Roald Dahl book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Chalamet puts a relatively youthful spin on the man initially embodied on screen by 38-year-old Gene Wilder in 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and then by 42-year-old Johnny Depp in the 2005 movie named directly after said children’s novel. Both predecessors received Best Comedy/Musical Actor Golden Globe nominations for their work but were respectively beaten by Topol (“Fiddler on the Roof”) and Joaquin Phoenix (“Walk the Line”).
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Depp’s 2006 bid and that of his co-nominee, Nathan Lane (as Max Bialystock in “The Producers”), made their characters the first two fictional male film ones to produce Golden Globe mentions for multiple actors. Since then, this niche group has only welcomed one new entrant: the comic book villain Joker, who was played by 1990 comedy lead nominee Jack Nicholson (“Batman”), 2009 supporting winner Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”), and 2020 drama lead champ Phoenix (“Joker”).
The only film character that preceded Joker in bringing Golden Globe notices to three different performers is Queen Elizabeth I. In 1999, the amount of nominated actresses associated with the regal role suddenly tripled when Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench concurrently picked up starring and featured bids for “Elizabeth” and “Shakespeare in Love,” following the example set by 1972 lead contender Glenda Jackson (“Mary, Queen of Scots”). Blanchett, who prevailed on her initial outing, was later recognized for again portraying the English monarch in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2008).
Rounding out the tiny group of triply Golden Globe-nominated film characters are two who were each played by a single male actor. The first was Inspector Jacques Clouseau, who Peter Sellers was recognized for portraying in the comedies “The Pink Panther” (1965), “The Return of the Pink Panther” (1976), and “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” (1977). Then came Michael Corleone, who was played in all three parts of the dramatic “Godfather” series (1973, 1975, 1991) by Al Pacino. Neither man ever managed to win for his role.
Just a few weeks from the release of “Wonka,” Gold Derby’s odds show Chalamet running fourth in his acting race behind Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”), Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), and Matt Damon (“Air”). As the category’s highest-ranked musical contender, he naturally stands out from the crowd, and that could give him an advantage in his attempt to avenge the previous Wonkas’ losses.
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