The King (2019)

A growling British accent, bowl cut, and bruised armor form the essentials for Chalamet’s part in David Michôd’s Shakespearean epic. He is Hal, the reluctant ruler who leads England into battle against France, with the help of conniving courtiers and his loyal friend Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). There’s plenty of palace intrigue, bloody battle sequences, and a showdown with the Dauphin (a malevolent Robert Pattinson), marking a bold departure from Chalamet’s previous artsy roles.

Little Women (2019)

In joining the cast of this swoon-worthy adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic, Chalamet reunited with Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan. He plays Laurie, the brooding love interest of Ronan’s Jo March, who attends balls and dashes around the countryside in sumptuous period costumes declaring his devotion to her. After years of rejection, though, he eventually ends up sweeping her sister, Florence Pugh’s Amy, off her feet instead.

The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson’s zippy episodic comedy is crammed full of stars—Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Adrien Brody, Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright—and yet Chalamet somehow steals the show as Zeffirelli, a fast-talking, wild-haired, mustachioed student revolutionary who has a brief affair with McDormand’s seasoned journalist Lucinda Krementz. Shot in luminous black and white, he has the mysterious and romantic air of a leading man from the French New Wave as he pens his manifesto and, ultimately, sacrifices his life to the cause.

Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024)

Establishing himself as a bonafide action star, albeit in his own typically brooding and tortured way, the actor took the lead in the first installment of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sensation as the heir to a noble house whose members find themselves thrust into a perilous conflict on an inhospitable desert planet. Cue Chalamet swapping his jet black suits for armor as he mourns the loss of his father (Oscar Isaac), traverses the dunes with his mother (Rebecca Ferguson), finds an ally in the warrior (Zendaya) he’s been seeing in his visions, and bests his opponents in hand-to-hand combat, returning for the explosive sequel, too.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Another ensemble romp in which he upstages his co-stars, Adam McKay’s pitch-black satire about the impending end of the world sees Chalamet don a backwards baseball cap to play Yule, a deadbeat conspiracy theorist who makes a move on Jennifer Lawrence’s jaded astronomer—and, to his own surprise, succeeds. They spend their final days on earth, alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchett, having deep chats under the stars, and Yule proves to be more thoughtful and vulnerable than anyone ever suspected. His comic timing is impeccable throughout, too.

Bones and All (2022)

In Luca Guadagnino’s raw, ravishing love story tracking two conflicted cannibals on the run from the law, Chalamet gives one of his most powerful performances so far opposite the spectacular Taylor Russell. The pair journey across the country in search of sustenance and safety, meeting other drifters along the way and slowly opening up to each other about their traumatic, blood-soaked pasts. Deathly pale with dirty, red-streaked hair and hollow cheekbones, the actor effortlessly combines the overwhelming hunger of a desperate lone wolf with a surprising dose of charm, gentleness, and genuine warmth.

Wonka (2023)

With his delicately embroidered velvet coat, patterned waistcoats, cravats, and chocolate-colored hat, the actor transforms into an ebullient, tap-dancing young Willy Wonka for Paul King’s candy-colored musical extravaganza. He’s accompanied by a spate of national treasures—Sally Hawkins as his dearly departed mother, Olivia Colman as a conniving hotel owner, Rowan Atkinson as a corrupt priest, and Hugh Grant as a flute-playing Oompa Loompa—yet carries the crowdpleaser wholly on his shoulders, hitting the high notes, nailing the choreography, and winning even more fans. It’s a world away from his usual repertoire—and proof that he can do absolutely anything.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

In a sense, playing the incomparable Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s toe-tapping, ’60s-set biopic—a subdued, thoughtful, mumbly, tortured artist—feels entirely in the Chalamet playbook, but it is also totally different from anything the actor has ever done before: a quiet, insular turn which sees him adopting all of the musician’s mannerisms, walking with his very specific gait, speaking in his gravely voice and singing with the same world-weary wistfulness. It’s simply stunning, and should get him closer to a best-actor Oscar than ever before.