Charles Melton Is an Oscars Contender—and a Serious Sneakerhead

Photographs: Getty Images; Collage: Gabe Conte

It is now—suddenly and somewhat inexplicably—Charles Melton season. The 32-year-old actor, best known as Reggie Mantle on the CW’s over-the-top teen soap Riverdale, has been thrust into the critical spotlight this season with his head-turning, acclaim-winning turn as Joe, loving husband at the heart of a decades-old grooming scandal, in the Todd Haynes drama May December. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Gotham Awards, Melton has now been tapped as a possible Academy Awards contender, an increase in cache that a recent New York Times profile called “heady stuff for a man whose most significant laurel until now was a nomination for best kiss at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.”

Whether or not he succeeds in seizing Oscar glory, there’s one area in which Charles Melton is already a clear winner: his sneaker game. Lately Melton has been photographed everywhere from the red carpets of international film festivals to haute couture fashion shows and more, drumming up publicity on the May December promotional circuit as he prepares for an all-out awards-season blitz come early next year. And wherever the actor’s spotted, he’s snapped getting a fit off. It’s becoming obvious that Melton isn’t just a better actor than anybody might have suspected. (His director, Haynes, said that even Melton “doesn’t realize how thorough an actor he is yet.”) The guy is also a serious sneakerhead.

The first real sign of his sneaker bona fides came this past May during the world premiere of May December at the Cannes Film Festival. Melton hit the Croisette in an inspired summer fit capped off with a very slick pair of Travis Scott Jordan 1 lows in the “reverse mocha” colorway. (He’d previously been seen out and about in New York wearing Travis Scott x Fragment Jordan 1s, which proved it wasn’t a one-off affection.) We’ve seen him at a pair of Valentino shows wearing the house's kicks to perfect effect. On Instagram, he’s rocked everything from classic hi-top Vans to Columbia hiking boots, and he’s been shot walking his dog in Vancouver wearing Jordan Breds. He wears Yeezys to the gym. Suffice it to say, this is not a man who treats shoes lightly.

We hope the awards buzz pans out for him—and we can’t wait to see what shoes he wears to the Oscars.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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