Timothée Chalamet’s choice of vehicle to the London premiere of the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown on Tuesday night won him a new legion of fans – and a few sceptics.
The actor, who was Bafta nominated for his role on Wednesday, rode on to the red carpet on a Lime bike – one of the capital’s popular rental bicycles, which you can hire via an app.
Speaking on French chatshow Quotidien on Wednesday, the actor explained that he resorted to the eco-friendly option to beat the gridlock – but his haste to attend the premiere meant he fell foul of the company’s strict policies on parking.
“There was a traffic jam, and I actually wasn’t allowed to park there, and I got a £65 fine,” he said. He added: “And actually it’s horrible because it was an advert for them.”
The exact nature of Chalamet’s fine remains unclear as Lime’s penalty structure runs from £2 to £20, with no penalties for first-time offences. The Guardian has contacted Chalamet, Lime, and Westminster and Lambeth councils for comment.
Chalamet’s film opens in the UK this Friday, before next Thursday’s Oscar nominations. His key competition this year is Adrien Brody for epic drama The Brutalist. Should Chalamet triumph, he would become the youngest man to win the leading actor Oscar – beating Brody’s own record by 268 days.
