Since its world premiere at Sundance in January, Luca Guadagnino’s potent love story Call Me By Your Name has been riding a wave of critical adulation, and is proving one of the Berlinale’s hottest tickets. Based on the acclaimed 2007 novel by André Aciman. it stars up-and-comer Timothée Chalamet as Elio, a teenager who embarks on a life-changing affair with the significantly older Oliver (Armie Hammer) over the course of a long, hot summer in 1980s Italy. I sat down with the pair ahead of the film’s European premiere.
How did you establish the chemistry we see on screen?
Timothée Chalamet: We were able to get out to Italy about four or five weeks early, and it wasn’t so much about building a relationship as it was about getting to know each other naturally. I think experience is the greatest teacher – we spent a lot of time with one another, whether that was getting coffee or watching Mike Tyson documentaries together! By the time it came to shooting the film, we were already very comfortable with one another.
How did Luca Guadagnino prepare you for the film?
Armie Hammer: We did a lot of work with Luca beforehand – rehearsing in his apartment and on the locations that would later become the sets. We spent dinners discussing the script, the characters, art, the nature of desire, epicurean cravings – everything that played into the movie we just talked about ad nauseam. It was like going to school, and one of the best pre-production experiences I’ve had.
And yet the film feels so natural and spontaneous…
AH: It’s dealing with the base of all human emotion, which is craving and desire, so it’s incredibly natural. And having these discussions about it only really, personally speaking, opened my eyes to how ubiquitous these feelings are for everyone.
Armie, were you at all worried about audiences interpreting Oliver as predatory?
AH: To us, nothing about the relationship was predatory – it was always just a spark between the two that grew and grew. And while these guys are at different stages in their life – Oliver being someone who may or may not have done something like this before and who is conflicted about it, and Elio having this open-mindedness and innocence which he brings to the situation – it never felt to us like Oliver was this lascivious character going after Elio. The mutual attraction and acceptance of what they feel for each other is the real beauty at the heart of the film.
Do you think the film is an invitation for viewers to expand their minds when it comes to thinking about love and attraction?
TC: That was certainly the reaction I had when reading the book – that this isn’t a story about the oppressive forces of culture, it’s just a story about first love, and a celebration of that love. I would hope that however the viewer identifies, they see a natural, visceral expression of love on screen, as opposed to something that is fraught with labels or preconceptions.
How do you perceive your characters’ sexuality?
AH: I’m hesitant to put a label on it, because I don’t think these guys would label themselves as anything other than open to this experience. And I think that’s what Oliver’s father (Michael Stuhlberg) hits on so well – what they had was special. He envies it. And we as the audience might envy it too.
Did you feel as if Luca was bringing anything autobiographical to the film?
AH: I think he was very interested in depicting a specific time in Italy. The 1980s were a fantastic time for the country – businesses were prospering, culture was thriving, everything was going so well. It was a modern golden era of sorts. And I think the movie captures that, but without seeming like it’s trying to be La Dolce Vita all over again.
Timothée, was it daunting knowing that the film would to a large extent live or die by your performance, and did Luca do much to prepare you for that?
TC: It was! And more daunting than that was that it was based on a book that holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of people. I never wanted to finish the film feeling like we didn’t do the book justice. Seeing it at Sundance a few weeks ago for the first time, I felt like we brought some kind of truth to the story. As testament to Luca, I felt totally safe in his hands at all times – from a risk standpoint, let’s say. From an opportunity perspective, it was a no-brainer, because I Am Love and A Bigger Splash are two of my favourite films, and I think Luca’s one of the best, most important directors working today. And – I’m not just saying this because he’s sitting here next to me – I couldn’t have been in better hands than with Armie, both as a person and an actor. I felt totally safe with him at all times. It was like having a great dance partner.
Did the more intimate scenes test your personal boundaries at all?
AH: For me it was less about any personal boundaries being pushed, and more about broadening and expanding my understanding of the idea of sensuality. In my mind the whole experience is imprinted with this sensuality, whether it’s how food was enjoyed, how the beauty of the landscape was enjoyed, how each others’ bodies were enjoyed – all of it seemed like the same form of sensual enjoyment. It’s kind of impossible to have boundaries in that sort of environment.