He’s the jawline that launched a thousand fan accounts, the face who made period pieces cool again, and the actor recently up for an Oscar for A Complete Unknown. At 29, Timothée Chalamet has conquered Hollywood with roles in Dune, Wonka, and Call Me By Your Name. But where does this generation’s leading man kick off his boots when the cameras stop rolling?
Childhood NYC Home
Chalamet grew up in Manhattan Plaza, a 46-floor subsidized housing complex in Hell’s Kitchen affectionately nicknamed «Broadway’s Bedroom.» This performing arts hive has housed an impressive roster of talent: Alicia Keys, Angela Lansbury, Colman Domingo, Mickey Rourke, and Tennessee Williams all called it home at some point. Larry David’s neighbor—the real-life inspiration for Seinfeld’s Kramer—lived next door to the Chalamets, and Samuel L. Jackson once worked security in the building.
Part of New York’s Mitchell-Lama Housing Program since 1977, Manhattan Plaza reserves 70 percent of its 1,689 units for performing artists, creating a unique creative ecosystem where young Timothée absorbed theatrical energy through the walls.
«I grew up in arts housing… a funky way to grow up,» Chalamet told Rolling Stone last year. His parents still live there, and he visits regularly when in New York. Despite the artistic environment, young Timothée witnessed the struggles of the acting profession firsthand. «This building truthfully made me scared of acting,» he confessed to Anderson Cooper in February, «because it’s a tough lifestyle, and a lot of people aren’t doing fantastically.»
The actor has mixed feelings about his unconventional upbringing. «I could try to paint it negatively to you. I could try to paint it positively, but it’s a bit of everything. It’s nuanced,» he explained. This nuanced childhood clearly shaped the complex performances that would later make him famous.
NYC Rentals
After graduating high school in 2013, he first spent a year at Columbia University before retreating to a Bronx apartment near Yankee Stadium. This was his home base while hustling for roles after his breakout in 2014’s Interstellar. Next, he shared an East Village place with two roommates during a brief NYU stint before dropping out to chase acting full-time.
Summer 2020 marked his first solo Manhattan apartment—a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space on 43rd Street, just blocks from his childhood home. At roughly 1,000 square feet with an estimated $4,000 monthly rent, it was hardly extravagant for a rising star. The French Dispatch actor «relished the mundanity of setting up his own place,» according to GQ, but even Oscar nominees need adulting help.
Zendaya, co-star and apparently interior design fairy godmother, dragged him to Bed Bath & Beyond for essentials. «The vibe was very teenage boy,» she told Jimmy Kimmel. «We just needed a few necessities. You know, cups and plates, knives and forks, things to clean.» The Euphoria star helped him hook up his bachelor pad with «all the big boy stuff,» transforming the space from barren bachelor pad to slightly-less-barren bachelor pad.
Beverly Hills Estate
By May 2022, Chalamet was ready for change. «After one too many days of doing the same thing, I just got this overwhelming sense that I was still playing the same hand of cards I’d had for a long time—but that I had a better hand to play,» he told GQ. «I was living in this rental place that didn’t feel like home. I was getting the same bacon, egg, and cheese at the same deli. Resisting any lifestyle change.»
The solution? An $11 million Beverly Hills mansion purchased from Kate Upton and Justin Verlander, who had bought it for $5.3 million in 2016 and completely renovated the kitchen. The 5,521-square-foot East Coast traditional home has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a wine cellar, formal dining room, and fireplace-warmed living room. The kitchen features an oversized marble waterfall-edge island and a breakfast nook.
Other luxurious touches include a home theater, beam and pitched ceilings, multiple sets of French doors, a wet bar, and a wood-paneled family room with a vaulted ceiling. Previous owners include Kenny G and tennis star Pete Sampras—clearly, the house has good acoustics and excellent follow-through.
The 1.5-acre property features a brick terrace, plunge pool, raised Jacuzzi, rose gardens, and grassy lawns surrounded by privacy-ensuring foliage. Chalamet added personal touches, turning his living room into an antique «museum» with carefully displayed pottery and vases along both sides of his TV, illuminated by strategic low lighting. He also upgraded the tennis court with a basketball hoop and ping-pong table—perfect training grounds for his upcoming role as a champion ping-pong player in Marty Supreme opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.
«I was able to spend 10 days in it before I went to Dune, and just having it as the home base, it psychologically helped,» he explained about finally putting down roots. The Beverly Hills pad has become Chalamet’s home base, conveniently located near Hollywood studios and his girlfriend of two years, Kylie Jenner. It’s a far cry from his Hell’s Kitchen beginnings, but for a 29-year-old Oscar nominee juggling blockbuster franchises and a billionaire girlfriend, it’s just another day in the life.
Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she manages the brand’s social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, art and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.
