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Call Me By Your Name’s Timothée Chalamet praises ‘perfect’ co-star Armie Hammer

By Will Stroude

Call Me By Your Name, 

the eagerly-anticipated film adaption of André Aciman’s 2007 gay coming-of-age novel, received rave reviews when it received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January.

Set in 1980s Italy, the book and film chronicles the impassioned love affair of a 17-year-old American boy, Elio, and a 24-year-old American grad student named Oliver who comes to stay at his parents’ house for the summer.

The award-winning novel has been adapted by for the big screen by James Ivory and directed by Luca Guadagnino, and sees former Homeland star Timothée Chalamet and The Social Network’s Armie Hammer take on the roles of Elio and Oliver respectively.

The story’s searing portrayal of young love won it legions of critical acclaim when it was released a decade ago, and in a new interview, Chalamet reveals that he and Hammer had no problem establishing a connection when it came to filming the romantic drama.

Speaking to his Insterstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey about the film in Interview magazine, Chalamet admitted that the pair’s status as the only two Americans on set helped them bond away from the set during the three months they spent shooting the movie in Italy last year.

“I play the love interest of Armie Hammer,” Chamalet explained. “He’s a full-blooded American, which is just perfect for the film.”

The 21-year-old continued: “But I’m that, too, so we’d hang out with each other all the time, because we were pretty much the only Americans there, and we were able to defend one another and really get to know one another.”

Call Me By Your Name might not be set for release in the US until November, but buzz is already building around what many expect to be one of the LGBT film highlights of 2017.

Discussing the movie with the The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, New York-born Chalamet said: “It’s really a story about passionate first love… I would hope that people are either brought back to that experience of a passionate first love – and for audience members like myself, you’re transported to a place you haven’t been in your life, of a passionate first love.”

Certainly, it seems that when it comes to romance,  Timothée is happy to sacrifice serious dating while he focuses on his burgeoning Hollywood career.

“The truth is, I’ve just been traveling so much, working on projects…” Chalamet told McConaughey in Interview when asked about his own love life. “But I saw you with your family on set. Steve Carell is also a real great, loving family guy, as is Christian Bale, and I think later in life that’s something I really want to tackle.

“But, like you said, now that my foot is in the door, I’m locked and loaded. I’m focused.”

Call Me By Your Name is set to be released on 24 November 2017 in the US.

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