When This Fan Sat Next To Timothée Chalamet On A Flight, She Was So Excited She Just Had To Share

For some people, there are few things better than interacting with their heroes. Alankrutha can certainly attest to that, as the Twitter user sat next to actor Timothée Chalamet on a flight in February 2019. However, following their three hours together on the plane, she struggled to contain her excitement.

Born in December 1995, Chalamet’s childhood was spent in New York, growing up alongside his parents and big sister. While the future star’s mom, Nicole Flender, was an American, his father hailed from France, with Marc Chalamet plying his trade as an editor. As a youngster, their son showed an interest in a number of different areas.

Indeed, Chalamet’s interests ranged from sports to theater, with the latter in particular hitting very close to home. The New Yorker’s mother was a stage performer, while his sister, Pauline Chalamet, was an aspiring child actress. That wasn’t all, though, as the family also shared some other connections in the entertainment industry.

Chalamet’s uncle, Rodman Flender, is a television director, while his aunt, Amy Lippman, works as a writer and producer. The actor’s grandfather, Harold Flender, was also known for his word-smithing skills, as he wrote novels and screenplays before passing away in 1975. However, the youngster’s passion for acting was also stoked by an outside influence.

Following the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008, Chalamet was left captivated by the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger. The actor’s unforgettable portrayal of the Joker inspired the teenager to push forward as a performer. That same year, he went on to feature in two short films titled Clown and Sweet Tooth.

Outside of Chalamet’s fledgling acting career, he was also a student at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Music & Art and Performing Arts high school, located in New York. The school brought together a number of aspiring young performers, with the teenager eventually making his small-screen debut in 2009.

Chalamet scored a role in Law & Order that year, featuring in one episode of the crime drama. A short time later, he appeared in the television movie Loving Leah, which marked his last on-screen performance for around three years. At that point, the young actor returned to the small-screen in 2012.

Indeed, Chalamet was cast in the show Royal Pains, with the New Yorker appearing in the third and fourth seasons. His television work in 2012 didn’t end there, though, as he also earned a role in Homeland. Taking on the character of Finn Walden, he featured in close to ten episodes of the program.

From there, Chalamet was cast in another TV movie in 2013, before making his big-screen debut some 12 months later. The teenager bagged a role in Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children, joining a star-studded cast. He featured alongside the likes of Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler, Emma Thompson and Dean Norris in the comedy drama.

Chalamet’s appearance in Men, Women & Children kick-started his big-screen career, as he featured in two more movies in 2014. However, one of those projects stood out above the other. After being influenced by The Dark Knight a few years earlier, the actor got the chance to work with Nolan on Interstellar.

The actor went on to score three prominent parts in 2015, featuring in One and Two, Christmas with the Coopers and True Deception. The following year, Chalamet made just one big-screen appearance. However, 2017 marked a significant period in his young career. It all started with a role that has now somewhat defined him.

Indeed, Chalamet bagged the lead role in Call Me by Your Name, a romantic drama featuring the likes of Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg. Taking on the character of Elio Perlman, his heartfelt performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination. The recognition didn’t end there, though.

The young actor was also nominated at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes for his work in Call Me By Your Name. Following that, he earned a significant role in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, which also attracted plenty of attention during the 2018 awards season. And when talking about Chalamet, the director certainly didn’t hold back in sharing her admiration for his talent.

“[Chalamet is like] a young Christian Bale crossed with a young Daniel Day-Lewis, with a sprinkle of young Leonardo DiCaprio,” Gerwig said in an interview about Chalamet. “[Who was then] raised speaking French in Manhattan, and given a Mensa-level IQ and a love of hip-hop.” His work in 2017 wasn’t over yet, though.

The New Yorker then scored the leading role in Hot Summer Nights, joining a cast that included Thomas Jane and Maika Monroe. After that, he featured in the western drama Hostiles, another film boasting an eye-popping collection of actors, such as Rosamund Pike and Christian Bale. In that movie, Chalamet utilized his family’s roots, as he played French soldier Philippe DeJardin.

In 2018, Chalamet then bagged another big part in a prestigious drama, joining Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy. To prepare for the role of drug addict Nic Sheff, the actor lost around 20 pounds in weight. Once again, his performance earned a number of plaudits, as the New Yorker continued to build his reputation in Hollywood.

While Chalamet’s work in Beautiful Boy didn’t earn him his second Oscar nomination in as many years, he was recognized at other awards shows in 2019. Indeed, the 23-year-old was nominated for the supporting actor gong at both the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Elsewhere, he did pick up a win for supporting actor at the Hollywood Film Awards.

As a result of Chalamet’s notable rise in the last few years, he’s since assembled a large group of fans across his social media platforms. On Twitter, the New Yorker boasts over 450,000 followers. Meanwhile, the actor’s official Instagram page has attracted more than three million supporters.

Alankrutha, as she’s known on Twitter, would certainly consider herself a fan of Chalamet. But not even she could’ve predicted what happened in February 2019. As she prepared herself for a three-hour plane journey, someone caught her eye in the seat next to her. Surprisingly, it was the Hollywood actor, leaving the Twitter user stunned.

With that in mind, Alankrutha then took to social media to share her story, recalling the encounter in humorous detail. “Y’all [no big deal] just sat next to Timothée Chalamet on a three hour flight and we CHATTED FOR AN HOUR,” she wrote on Twitter in February 2019. “I AM SUPER CALM RIGHT NOW AS EVERYONE CAN TELL.”

“Working on four hours of sleep, I am ready to tell everyone how I met Timothée Chalamet and how we are (probably) friends now?!” Alankrutha continued. “SO I enter the flight and see a tall, lanky dude in front of me wearing a hoodie. And both of us are the only ones without overhead space to keep our bags.”

At that point, Alankrutha got a better look at the other passenger and felt like she recognized him. “I look up to see an actual angel, and alarm bells in my head go off immediately,” the Twitter user wrote. “[The] flight takes off and [my] head is exploding because I had to know who this dude [was].”

As Alankrutha continued to stew over the passenger’s identity, she then made a big decision. “So, 30 minutes into the flight, I work up the courage and nudge him and [say], ‘Hey you look exactly like Timothée Chalamet,’” she continued. “To which he smiles and says, ‘I GET THAT A LOT.’”

Due to that rather coy admission, Alankrutha appeared to drop the matter, leaving the passenger to himself. However, she couldn’t help but keep a curious eye on him, as the Twitter user continued to mull over her thoughts. Half-way through the journey, though, she was posed a seemingly innocuous question by the mystery man.

“[One and a half] hours in, [Chalamet] asked me when the flight was going to land and I couldn’t hold it in,” Alankrutha wrote on the social media website. “[I] said, ‘I KNOW YOU ARE TIMOTHÉE.’ HE LAUGHED AND SAID ‘AYYY YES IT IS, HI I AM TIMOTHÉE.’”

“[Chalamet then] shook my hands and at this point I was basically shook/stunned and I couldn’t process anything,” Alankrutha added. Despite being left gobsmacked by the actor’s admission, she still composed herself enough to ask him some questions. Indeed, one of them included, “Why are you sitting in economy class?”

After Chalamet laughed that off, he was then asked if he knew music superstar Beyoncé, which he doesn’t. At that point, Alankrutha enquired about the actor’s Beautiful Boy co-star Steve Carell, wondering what he’s like in person. “He said he’s amazing, and offered to FaceTime him!” she recalled on Twitter.

Following that round of questions, Alankrutha looked back at some of the other things they talked about on the flight. Indeed, the excited Twitter user admitted to “stalking” Chalamet’s Wikipedia page, which prompted him to offer her a high-five. However, their conversation proceeded to take a fascinating turn as time went on.

“What shocks me the most is [Chalamet] wanted to know about me,” Alankrutha wrote. “[He] asked me what I do, what project management is about (literally who cares Timothée?), where I grew up and PRONOUNCED MY NAME RIGHT.” From there, the unlikely duo discovered something that they had in common.

“The BEST discussion we had was about The Office, and which episode we love (I said “Dinner Party,” represent),” Alankrutha revealed. “We discussed the show and at this point I’m like, ‘Is my life real, is this a fever dream?’” During their lengthy chat, one subject continued to crop up, though.

Chalamet maintained a genuine interest in Alankrutha’s background, which left the Twitter user very surprised. “Whenever he asks me about my life, I’m like!” she wrote. “Why do you want to know about an IDIOT like me! He asks about India, name-drops Armie Hammer (why wouldn’t he?) and tells me about his life growing up and how he got into films.”

In a relatively short space of time, Chalamet and Alankrutha appeared to grow quite comfortable with each other, making their chance meeting even more memorable for the latter. “All his questions were super sincere and genuine,” she continued. “And he KEPT high fiving/friendly nudging.” The super-fan then made a heartwarming admission.

“While my heart was exploding, I also spoke to [Chalamet] like I would to a friend, because he made me feel so comfortable!” Alankrutha added. At the end of their talk, she left the Hollywood actor to his own devices. She then tried to wrap her head around what happened. However, that didn’t signal the end.

Before leaving the plane, Alankrutha and Chalamet started up another conversation. “The flight landed, [and] we spoke for a bit about his upcoming films,” she wrote on Twitter. “He wished me luck for my career (I don’t care about my career at this point) and also told me I was the only one on his entire journey who recognized him.”

Chalamet then offered to take a photo with Alankrutha, which she gleefully accepted. After getting off the flight, the pair said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, bringing their journey to an end. Off the back of that meeting, the super-fan then reflected on everything that transpired, ahead of sharing the selfie.

“MORAL OF THE STORY,” Alankrutha wrote. “If you work hard enough and never leave your house, you might stumble upon Timothée Chalamet on a flight and proceed to ask him who the most famous celeb on his phone is.” From there, she posted the photo that capped off their meeting, with the New Yorker striking a simple pose.

“I don’t know how one can be this terrible at taking selfies, but look out world here I come,” Alankrutha wrote in the accompanying post. “Anyway, I don’t care, just look at his face. This experience has been beautiful and he’s a very nice person. And we might be friends, but I don’t know!”

On that note, Alankrutha made one final observation. “It’s funny, a few hours before I got on this flight, I was complaining about how I never get seated next to anyone interesting,” she concluded. Unsurprisingly, her words really resonated on social media, as online users flocked to read about the encounter.

Indeed, Alankrutha’s initial Twitter post has earned close to 5,000 retweets and over 35,000 likes. In addition, her story has also generated more than 400 comments on the platform. Meanwhile, the selfie post racked up some big numbers as well, with over 2,000 retweets and more than 25,000 likes.

As for Chalamet, he has a busy couple of years ahead of him, with several intriguing projects on the horizon. However, two of those films stand out above the rest. The sequel to Call Me by Your Name has been announced, while the actor will also star in Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated adaptation of Dune.