He’s one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the moment after starring in two hit Dune films and the blockbuster prequel Wonka.

But Timothée Chalamet faced plenty of doubters early in his career.

In a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, the 28-year-old Academy Award nominee revealed that his physique was one of the factors that Hollywood insiders were most certain would keep him from making it in the industry.

‘If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up, the feedback was always, “Oh, you don’t have the right body,” he recalled.

The solution from several people supposedly in the know was to bulk up.

Timothée Chalamet, 28, revealed to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that Hollywood insiders said he wouldn’t make it in the industry unless he gained weight early in his career; seen in 2019 at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills

‘If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up, the feedback was always, “Oh, you don’t have the right body,” he recalled; pictured film Marty Supreme on October 9 in NYC

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‘I had an agent that called me and said, “You got to put on weight,” basically — not aggressively, but you know,’ Chalamet continued.

But instead of hitting the gym daily and turning to nutritionists and personal trainers — and potentially even steroids — the aspiring actor decided to focus on the kinds of projects that most intrigued him, which didn’t require such an intense physical transformation.

Chalamet said he settled on a ‘very personal style’ of filmmaking, which led him to star in movies including the Oscar-winning gay romantic drama Call Me by Your Name, the brutal addiction drama Beautiful Boy, and Greta Gerwig’s first two critically acclaimed solo directorial efforts, the quasi-autobiographical Lady Bird and her acclaimed adaptation of Little Women.

‘Those were smaller budget, but very — I don’t know how else to put it — personable movies that started in this theater space,’ Chalamet said. ‘This is where I found my rhythm, my confidence, my flow, whatever you want to call it.’

The A-lister also compared his entry into ‘very personalized movies’ with how Bob Dylan — whom he portrays in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown — came into his own.

‘For [Dylan], it was folk music. He couldn’t keep a rock and roll band because they would all get hired by other kids that had more money, literally, in Minnesota,’ he said, comparing their early paths.

Of course, Timothée’s early success in low-budget and arthouse films hasn’t precluded him from starring in blockbusters.

As he traded out small but impactful supporting parts for meatier lead roles, he booked the coveted role of Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune.

‘I had an agent that called me and said, “You got to put on weight,” basically — not aggressively, but you know,’ Chalamet continued; pictured in February in NYC

He first focused on smaller films like Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird and Little Women. Those critical and commercial success gave him a path to blockbusters like Dune; pictured in Dune: Part Two with Austin Butler (R)

Chalamet also had a box-office hit with the musical prequel Wonka. He’ll next be seen in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which releases on Christmas Day

Although the first was technically only a modest success at the box office in 2021 due to the influence of the coronavirus pandemic and Warner Bros.’ strategy to release the film free to subscribers of Max (then HBO Max) on the same day it debuted in theaters, the movie was a hit with critics and fans.

This year’s Dune: Part Two was a much bigger success, and in between Timothée took on the role of Willy Wonka in the musical prequel film Wonka, which received solid ratings and was another box-office smash. 

He still finds time for small and in-between projects, like his Dylan biopic and Uncut Gems co-director Josh Safdie’s film Marty Supreme.

A Complete Unkonwn is expected in theaters in the US on Christmas Day.