Timothée Chalamet has appeared in the newly surfaced Epstein files for a rather peculiar reason, suggesting he was ‘compelled to give away his earnings’.
Chalamet has appeared in a number of popular films throughout his acting tenure, including the 2020 release of A Rainy Day In New York in the United States.
This romantic comedy was directed by Woody Allen, who has faced long-standing accusations from his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, regarding sexual misconduct from the 1990s, charges he has consistently denied.
The film’s release was postponed for two years due to the backlash against Allen, driven by these allegations, with some involved in the project, like Griffin Newman, publicly disavowing Allen.
In January 2018, Chalamet took a stand by announcing his intention to donate his entire earnings from the film to Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn [the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network].
This decision was highlighted in a message from publicist Peggy Siegel to Jeffrey Epstein around the time of Chalamet’s announcement.
This email was among the 3,000,000 documents recently released concerning the disgraced financier, detailing that Chalamet was ‘compelled to give away his money’.
Siegel wrote to Epstein, expressing distress over the situation: “I am sick about Woody. This ‘#Me Too’ witch hunt is out to destroy an 80-year-old global cinematic treasure and it makes me so sad.
“I saw literary agent Lynn Nesbit at Billy Rayner’s funeral and she said Woody is guilty. Of course, she is the agent for Ronan and Dylan.
“Even my friend Timothy Chalemet [sic], who donated his salary from Woody’s last film to THREE political agencies was sick about being forced into any action by the press.
“He could not go anyplace on his ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Oscar campaign without the press hounding him about working with Woody. His agents made him give his money away, supposedly not as a sign of Woody’s guilt, but support of hysterical woman and media.”
Siegel further described Chalamet as distressed over the entire situation, labeling him as a ‘pawn in a larger game’.
She also predicted that Chalamet would secure an Oscar for Beautiful Boy, a nomination he ultimately did not receive.
In his public statement regarding his donation, Chalamet stated: “I am learning that a good role isn’t the only criteria for accepting a job – that has become much clearer to me in the past few months, having witnessed the birth of a powerful movement intent on ending injustice, inequality and above all, silence.”
He continued, “I have been asked in a few recent interviews about my decision to work on a film with Woody Allen last summer. I’m not able to answer the question directly because of contractual obligations.
“But what I can say is this: I don’t want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn [the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network].
“I want to be worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the brave artists who are fighting for all the people to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Comments have been sought from Chalamet’s representatives for further clarification.