Timothée Chalamet has endured yet another bruising awards season, missing out on an Oscar once again at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
The 30-year-old led the table tennis drama Marty Supreme, which earned him his third Best Actor nomination, while the film also contended in the Best Picture race. But on the night, it was ultimately outpaced by the ceremony’s biggest winners.
Among them was Paul Thomas Anderson’s boundary-pushing black comedy One Battle After Another, which dominated the evening with six wins, edging out early favorite Ryan Coogler’s Sinners for the highest haul of statuettes.
Sinners still left with a major victory, though, as Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for playing twin brothers facing an ancient evil. And while Chalamet came up short again, body language experts have been weighing in on his reaction in the moment.
With plenty of experience this season in handling defeat publicly, body language expert Darren Stanton told Covers that Chalamet appeared sincerely pleased for Jordan when the winner was announced.
The expert explained: “Timothée Chalamet was genuinely happy for Michael. Sometimes we see microexpressions of sadness or disappointment from another nominee, but he seemed genuinely pleased at the moment it was announced.”
Even so, Stanton suggested there were still flashes of disappointment from Chalamet as the moment landed. He said: “There was a brief close-up of Timothée and Kylie Jenner as Michael walked on stage, and there was definitely genuine happiness from the Marty Supreme star.
“He knows it’s all part of the game – win or lose. He didn’t flash any animosity, anger or jealousy.”
One person who appeared to take the loss to heart was Chalamet’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, who has been alongside him for much of an awards run that has seen him pick up a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice award for Marty.
Stanton argued Jenner’s expression read more as sympathy than frustration, and that she also seemed genuinely positive about Jordan’s moment.
The body language expert explained: “When it came to Kylie, she wasn’t flashing any negative emotions, like anger or contempt, either. From her facial expressions, she just seemed disappointed for Timothée, even though he didn’t appear to be upset in any sense.
“Overall, from a non-verbal point of view, there was no contempt at all and her expressions towards Michael’s win were genuine. It was just clear she was there to support Timothée and wanted to see him do well.”
The defeat means Chalamet’s Oscars acceptance speech will stay on standby for at least another year. Meanwhile, Jordan looked caught off guard by his own win, appearing stunned as he made his way to the stage.
Stanton added: “Michael B. Jordan was genuinely gobsmacked. It took him a few moments to fully register what had happened – he appeared completely stunned and shell-shocked. He clearly needed a moment to grasp that he had won.
“In terms of his delivery during the speech, he came across as a genuine and very humble guy. He didn’t try to be funny or clever – he spoke authentically from the heart. There was no smugness; he was completely genuine.
“He still seemed really shocked throughout the whole speech. Everything he displayed was consistent and true – he was completely amazed and in awe over winning.”