Hollywood might have a new celebrity friendship for the ages, one the internet is already aptly calling “friendship goals.” Known for their work on Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 bestselling novel Dune, fashion icon Zendaya and Call Me By Your Name actor Timothée Chalamet hit the red carpet together on Tuesday.
In vest-centric looks, they kicked off the press tour for the sequel to their dystopian thriller, Dune: Part Two, at CinemaCon 2023. But what went viral was when the 27-year-old star showed he was the perfect hype man for the Emmy-award-winning star as she was photographed solo.
Zendaya, fresh off the announcement as Louis Vuitton’s latest house ambassador, posed for cameras in a look from the French luxury label’s 2023 Capucine collection. In a clip that has since been viewed more than one million times, a voice off-screen identified as Chalamet is heard cheering on his co-star and friend.
“Eat ‘em up!” he yells out from the sidelines to resulting laughter from the photographers.
Timothée Chalamet hypes up Zendaya on the CinemaCon carpet:
“Eat ‘em up” pic.twitter.com/aLoxAd2yBn
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 26, 2023
Clearly amused, Z nodded and flipped her hair sassily.
zendaya’s face after timothée said eat em up 😭 pic.twitter.com/3RsQ8p7qiL
— is (@DAYASCHANl) April 25, 2023
She stunned in a backless, brown-scale beige waistcoat with a leather strap, oversized dark brown dress pants and white pointed heels. Chalamet opted for biker-chic with an all-leather Helmut Lang fit of a slip-on leather vest, which he layered over a plain white tee, fashioned with skinny leather motorcycle pants and black leather boots in his signature curly hair.
On Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr, where the video has since gone viral, many praised the longtime friends, who became close in 2019 while shooting the first Dune film.
timothee’s zendaya’s biggest hype man omg pic.twitter.com/uyUWzLilbB
— knee | dayachella 🎀 (@enchantedayas) April 25, 2023
“Their friendship is everything,” one person tweeted.
“If my best friend doesn’t hype me up like these two do, are we really friends?” another said.
I love them badly https://t.co/2WXXDKv0wd
— ໊ (@keepdrivings) April 25, 2023
“I love them,” a Reddit user added.
This is not the first time the co-stars have displayed their sweet friendship in a supportive red carpet moment. Ahead of the 2022 Academy Awards, Zendaya interrupted Chalamet during a red-carpet interview to applaud her friend’s outfit.
During the encounter, Zendaya could be heard shouting “OK!” across the red carpet at Chalamet, who paused his interview to respond: “What’s up? OK!”
No one:
Timothée and Zendaya at the Oscars; #Oscars2022 #TimotheeChalamet #Zendaya #Oscar pic.twitter.com/qTbTuMTcUH
— Katie (@KatieSpeichert) March 27, 2022
The Euphoria actress gestured her approval of Chalamet’s outfit, prompting laughter from the actor. Chalamet has also complimented his friend on her Dune press tour looks during a joint interview with E!’s Daily Pop
“She’s killing it,” he said.
In addition to their sweet red-carpet interactions, the pair have also opened up about their close friendship in interviews. In an interview with E! News in 2021, the Spiderman: No Way Home actress recalled her experience working with the Little Women alum on the first Dune film.
“Immediately, I was like, Oh, we’re going to be friends for life. Like, this is happening,” she said.
Chalamet also shared his appreciation for his 26-year-old co-star. “I’m so grateful to count her as a partner and a sister and a friend,” he told Variety in 2022.
Fashion fits aside, Zendaya and Chalamet also gave fans exciting new details about their sandy, sci-fi sequel: the duo will reprise their roles as Chani and Paul Atreides in the new blockbuster. The first trailer for Dune: Part Two has yet to be publicly released but debuted at the annual cinema-focused convention.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chalamet teased his character in the sequel, commenting that Paul will evolve from a “student” to a “leader,” while Zendaya promised a more expanded role for her character, Chani, compared to the first film. The returning co-stars will be joined by franchise newcomers Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino and Austin Butler as Feyd Rautha. “Dune: Part Two” premieres in theaters on November 3.
We hope we get more wholesome moments between the “Dune” besties showing off their sweet bond and stylish fashion sense during the sequel’s premieres.