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Timothée Chalamet made headlines in July when he was announced as the Global Brand Ambassador for Lucid Motors, and now, the Marty Supreme star has unveiled his first video campaign with the EV brand.
Dubbed “Hard Launch,” the new clip places Chalamet in the hot seat as he answers questions about “greatness,” from New York Knicks stars Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. The catch: Chalamet has to respond while his Lucid Air Sapphire is being pushed to the limit as it hurtles around the Las Vegas Speedway (the car is currently the quickest production electric sedan on earth with a top speed of 205 mph and the ability to go 0-60 in under two seconds, and Chalamet does not hold back when the driver actives launch mode: “My balls shot into my chest,” he says in the clip).
The video is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming with Chalamet shouting out everyone from Daniel Day-Lewis to Jeremy Strong, while referencing some sage advice he got from his high school teacher to pursue his passion for acting. Chalamet also gets opinionated when asked to rank his greatest actors of all time, and the Oscar-nominated and now Grammy-nominated star dishes on getting surprise texts from Leonardo DiCaprio. “He texted me today,” Chalamet says nonchalantly. “He said, ‘I heard they shaved your head — say it ain’t so.”
“You good though, you rockin’ it,” Hart replies encouragingly.
While Chalamet is an official ambassador for the automotive brand, Hart and Brunson are newly-tapped collaborators with Lucid, and the three-minute long video is the first time all three of them have worked — and been featured — together. As a longtime Knicks fan, Chalamet says he’s been inspired by the two basketball stars over the years, and was excited to get to know them off the court. “Josh and Jalen play with fearlessness — they trust their instincts, make bold choices, and lean into the moment,” Chalamet tells Rolling Stone, about why he wanted to work with them. “They play with integrity and audacity.”
“It was great working with Timothee on this Lucid campaign,” Brunson says. “He brought such amazing energy on set and through the campaign I was able to learn more about him and the industry he is in.”
“You can tell the moment he steps on set for a shoot that it’s go time,” Hart adds. “He always comes out and supports us at the garden so this was a fun one to work on together.”
Lucid says the new video is all about “passion for excellence, belief in oneself, and striving for greatness,” while adding that “Timothée, Josh, and Jalen show that greatness comes from pushing boundaries.” Of course, the new clip showcases the possibilities of Lucid’s EV fleet too, with Chalamet promoting the sporty Lucid Air Sapphire, after having posed with the all-electric Lucid Gravity Grand Touring in his first photoshoot with the brand.
And while the actor was first spotted driving a Lucid Air in 2023, he admits he hasn’t actually been driving for that long. “I actually didn’t get my license until I moved to L.A. for [the 2018 film) Beautiful Boy,” he says. “[That’s] late by normal standards — in New York you don’t really need a car.”
After earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination for 2024’s A Complete Unknown, Chalamet is once again garnering Oscar buzz for his latest film, Marty Supreme, but the 29-year-old says he never allows himself to get too comfortable with the accolades. “You spend your whole life in pursuit of it,” he replies, when Hart and Brunson ask about the concept of “greatness.” “You achieve it in fleeting moments and it’s really in the eyes of those who evaluate you,” Chalamet says, “at least in what I do.”
For now, Chalamet is happy to soak in the attention, while also knowing that something else great is always on the horizon. It’s how he plans to spend the upcoming holidays too: “I’ll be recharging before the next wave,” he says, dutifully working in an electric car phrase.
Is he nervous about how he’s perceived in Hollywood? Chalamet tells Hart and Brunson that he’s walking — and driving — more confidently these days. “I felt like that at times,” he says, “but hopefully I’m doing that to other people now.”
Lucid’s multi-year partnership with Chalamet is expected to include other activations and campaigns, with more details to be revealed in the months to come.
