Timothée Chalamet Felt Like He Was ‘Desecrating History’ While Working 1 Movie
When Timothée Chalamet starred in Wonka, he sang six songs for the movie musical. Chalamet said that this made the film one of the most difficult he’d ever starred in. While he received praise for his voice — and later sang as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown — Chalamet said he felt like he was out of his league during the recording process.
Timothée Chalamet spoke about recording music for ‘Wonka’
While promoting Wonka, Chalamet joked that the only way he made it through the musical numbers was with the help of Auto-Tune.
“I tried,” he told Us Weekly. “It’s a lot of Auto-Tune. … No, I’m kidding.”
He said that while being in the film was a new challenge, he enjoyed embracing his musical side.
“I loved it,” he said. “It was a great learning experience.”
Still, he said he felt slightly out of his depth while recording the songs that would feature in the film. He spent a weekend recording at Abbey Road in London. Many iconic artists have recorded at the studio, with the most famous being The Beatles.
“I felt out of my league,” he told Time. “Like I was desecrating history!”
Timothée Chalamet’s vocal coach discussed working with him on ‘Wonka’
Chalamet worked with vocal coach Eric Vetro on the music for Wonka. Vetro, who has worked with many stars, said he found Chalamet naturally talented.
“The thing about him is that he’s very, very naturally musical. He has a lot of music in him,” he told People. “But what’s really special about him, he’s such a brilliant actor that he brings that side of his talent into the singing. So, he’s really singing as a character and bringing those songs alive.”
Vetro believed that Chalamet’s joining of vocals and strong acting would stand out to audiences.
“Someone can sound really good singing. Someone can also act a song really well. But he puts it together really, really well,” he said. “It almost becomes mesmerizing, because you forget it’s Timothée Chalamet, and you just start going along with him as the character. I think that’s what people are going to be really, really impressed by.”
Vetro also worked with Chalamet on A Complete Unknown. He said the shift from Chalamet’s Wonka vocals to his Bob Dylan voice was “astonishing.”
He didn’t have to audition for the film
According to Wonka director Paul King, Chalamet was his first and only choice for the role. He felt even more secure in his decision when he saw videos of the actor performing onstage in high school.
“It was a straight offer because he’s great and he was the only person in my mind who could do it,” King told Rolling Stone. “But because he’s Timothée Chalamet and his life is so absurd, his high school musical performances are on YouTube and have hundreds of thousands of views. So I knew from stanning for Timmy Chalamet that he could sing and dance really well.”
He said that Chalamet was very excited to show people a new side of himself.
