How Timothee Chalamet Spent His First Real Paycheck

Despite actor Timothée Chalamet's whirlwind rise to fame with roles in Call Me By Your Name and Little Women, the 24-year-old Oscar nominee was just your average high school student when he received his first official paycheck in 2010. According to GQ, the Lady Bird actor's first splurge was exactly what you might expect from a teenage boy who grew up in NYC — New York Knicks tickets. "He spent his first reasonable paycheck—from a Disney commercial—on nosebleed Knicks season tickets the summer of The Decision, when he was sure LeBron was coming to New York," Daniel Riley's profile reads.

However, when LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat, Chalamet "spent many afternoons sprinting down to the Garden after school to scalp his tickets." Years later, however, as a first-time guest of the Knicks, Chalamet had to convince Madison Square Garden to refrain from splashing his face on the Jumbotron. As Chalamet told Riley: "They said, 'Hey, we're gonna throw you on the big screen.' And I said, 'Please don't—you're gonna realize that nobody knows me, and you'll never have me back.'"

That being said, these courtside photos of Chalamet and comedian Ben Stiller Just Jared posted in January 2020 are a clear indication that Chalamet is still welcome in the stands anytime.

With countless accolades to his name now, Timothée Chalamet has teamed up with numerous veterans in the business. However, in the midst of the #MeToo movement, Chalamet's turn in director Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York drew criticism, as Allen faces sexual assault allegations of his own. That's why, in response to the backlash, Chalamet donated his entire paycheck to charity.

"This year has changed the way I see and feel about so many things; it has been a thrilling and, at times, enlightening education," Chalamet wrote on Instagram. "I have, to this point, chosen projects from the perspective of a young actor trying to walk in the footsteps of more seasoned actors I admire. But 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."

Chalamet declared he would donate his salary to TIME'S UP, The LGBT Center in New York, and RAINN. "I want to be worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the brave artists who are fighting for all people to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve," Chalamet added. 

When you choose to support those most in need, it's always money well spent.