Timothée Chalamet is a leading contender as Oscars historically favour older men

Timothée Chalamet, who turned 30 on Dec. 27, delivers some of his best work in "Marty Supreme" and is all but certain to earn his third Oscar nomination later this month, the piece says — but winning best actor would require overcoming a longstanding reluctance among voters to reward young men.

The column notes that for nearly a century the academy has tended to prefer more seasoned performers. Adrien Brody, who was 29 when he won for "The Pianist," remains the only man in his 20s to triumph in the category. The article recalls Leonardo DiCaprio’s long arc: after "Titanic" made him a superstar and voters refused to nominate him, he did not receive his first Oscar until age 40, for "The Revenant," described there as a grueling wilderness drama.

It highlights a contrast between men and women under 30: in the last decade only two men under 30 were nominated for best actor (Daniel Kaluuya for "Get Out" and Paul Mescal for "Aftersun"), while seven women under 30 were nominated for best actress and three — Brie Larson ("Room"), Emma Stone ("La La Land") and Mikey Madison ("Anora") — went on to win.

The columnist suggests reasons for the disparity, including what he calls a "girlfriend gap" and his own E-Poll analysis showing straight men sometimes rate romantic idols poorly; he also cites young male contenders such as Jacob Elordi and Michael B.

Key Topics

Culture, Timothée Chalamet, Oscars, Marty Supreme, Adrien Brody, Leonardo Dicaprio