Timothée Chalamet Gives Kudos to Kendrick Lamar Before Super Bowl Performance

Before his highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show performance on Sunday, Feb. 9, Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar sat down for a filmed conversation with Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet. The sit-down, shared by the NFL on X (previously Twitter), was an exchange of respect between two stars.

A Bob Dylan Connection Between Two Artists

In an interesting twist, Chalamet and Lamar share a mutual connection through music icon Bob Dylan. Chalamet will portray Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown, while Lamar's popular song Not Like Us features a sample from Ray Charles, sampled by Dylan himself in Ballad Of A Thin Man. Their shared connection to Dylan's legacy made their discussion interesting.

Chalamet's Appreciation for Lamar's Career

While chatting, Chalamet discussed his appreciation for Lamar's career journey, praising him for his appreciation of the rapper's music for years. "I've been a fan of your music forever, and to see where you are today is just unbelievable," the actor said to him. "Super Bowl halftime showman, you just keep on going up. It's amazing."

Kendrick Lamar and Timothée Chalamet’s exclusive interview ahead of #AppleMusicHalftime. #SBLIX@KendrickLamar @pglang @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/F1SQniZdgm

— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2025

Insights into Their Creative Processes

Both actors also looked inward at each other's separate creative lives. Chalamet spoke about how hard it can be to be an actor and how necessary having an audience was. "If you don't have an audience, acting's a kind of insanity," he said. "I try to warm up, shake off being self-conscious and accept failure. The most critical aspect of a bad day is how you take it out with you. If you can do it with good thoughts, nothing to fear."

Lamar also talked about his songwriting process, describing it as his release. "Keeping the pen moving is my way of staying sane," he responded. "Writing helps me get to know myself—there are things I articulate in my music that I may never have known about myself otherwise." He further said that working through feelings and vulnerability were important aspects of his writing. "Many of these songs wouldn't happen if I didn't want to experiment with what I'm feeling with an instrumental to back them up."

Big Plans for the Super Bowl Performance

Earlier this month, Lamar announced that fellow artist SZA would be appearing as a special guest at his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans. Chalamet recently revealed that he bulked up 20 pounds to prepare for his role-playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, demonstrating once again his commitment to his craft.

Since both stars keep moving to new extremes in their line of work, their discussion was a rare sneak peek into the brains of two artistic giants in the days leading up to one of the industry's largest events.