Co-writer/director Adam McKay’s dark, yet warm disaster comedy Don’t Look Up continues to make the rounds with awards voters and audience members alike. The reaction to the film has been pretty divided, and the wild energy that surrounds it doesn’t end there. Apparently, Timotheé Chalamet’s mullet in the feature film was his idea, and some memorable inspiration turned that idea into something even crazier.
Costume designer Susan Matheson recently revealed some exciting details behind the various looks she crafted for Don't Look Up. In an interview for Vogue, Matheson ran through stories about how various looks came together for this outside-the-box conversation started. One of the key pieces just happened to be the mullet that Chalamet’s character Yule sports throughout his appearance, and this is the story of how that came to be:
The first thing he said to me was ‘I want a mullet,’ and of course, he sent me pictures of Joe Exotic, At the time everyone was obsessed with Joe, but instead I found this guy from New Zealand who had this amazing mullet and the moment I showed it to Timotheé, he said: ‘Bingo!’
It’s unusual to see Timotheé Chalamet in any hairstyle that’s not his trademark mid-length waves. That look has seen him make memorable impressions in past glories like Call Me By Your Name and in recent hits like Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi smash Dune. One could imagine just how well this new style went with his devoted fanbase, but it absolutely fits the character. At the very least, Susan Matheson’s decision fits better than just copying the Joe Exotic variant.
Playing Yule, a young man who rejects authority and takes a liking to Jennifer Lawrence’s PhD student Kate Dibiasky, an unlikely romance unfolds in Don’t Look Up. Of course, this is happening during the backdrop of a planetary, and personal. crisis that, through one twist and another, becomes even more difficult to avoid. Introducing himself when trying to steal liquor from the supermarket with his friends, Chalamet becomes a part of a group of characters that become the most likable figures by the end of the film.
Though the locks may not match what people normally see as a Timotheé Chalamet look, the actor challenges his image while enriching it. It’s a balancing act that the entire cast of this apocalyptic comedy worked to perfect, and the landing is stuck thanks to the work of Susan Matheson. For all we know, Ms. Matheson’s work will turn the tide on Mr. Chalamet’s image, which could be interesting, as he seems to be returning to his usual look for the Wonka prequel he’s starring in.
For now, folks can enjoy this bold new frontier, as Don’t Look Up continues to crush the Netflix record books and is currently available for streaming. To see what movies may potentially challenge that title in the year to come, head over to the 2022 Netflix film schedule for a look at the competition. Or, if you’re a Timotheé Chalamet fan who wants to get their hands on a copy of Dune, you can pre-order it for delivery on January 11th.
