The actor won the award for his performance in Marty Supreme, in which he plays Marty Mauser, a professional table tennis player chasing an ambitious goal.
After thanking his fellow nominees, his team and the film’s director, Josh Safdie, Chalamet turned his attention to Jenner, who was seated in the audience.
“And lastly, I’ll just say, thank you to my partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation,” Chalamet said from the stage. “I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much,” he added.
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Cameras quickly cut to Jenner in the audience, who responded by mouthing “I love you” back to the actor, drawing cheers from the room and instant reaction across social media. The moment marked one of the couple’s most public displays since they began appearing together at major industry events.
Chalamet, visibly emotional, admitted early in his speech that the moment had hit him harder than expected.
“I’m more nervous than I thought I’d be,” he said, before shifting focus to the creative team behind Marty Supreme. He singled out co-writer and director Josh Safdie for crafting a story that centers on ambition without moralizing its subject.
“You made a story about a flawed man with a relatable dream, and you didn’t preach to the audience about what’s right and wrong,” Chalamet said. “I think we should all be telling stories like that. Thank you for this dream.”
The Best Actor category was one of the evening’s most competitive, with Chalamet beating out Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
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In addition to Chalamet, Marty Supreme’s cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, Fran Drescher, Sandra Bernhard, magician Penn Jillette and Abel Ferrara.
Marty Supreme opened with over $27 million at the box office, according to Variety, in its four-day opening set following its Christmas Day (Dec. 25) release.
