OWEN MCDONNELL: Hello listeners, this is Owen McDonnell here with a brand new episode of In The Know, a podcast dedicated to the University of Minnesota.
Okay, let’s be honest. You saw the title of the episode. You heard the commotion on campus. This episode truly needs no introduction. However if yesterday happened to be your first day of winter hibernation and you slept all day, you may have missed it.
Long story short — actor, star, Mr. Jawline Timothée Chalamet spent a day on the University of Minnesota campus yesterday. He was here to promote his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown.” He posted a UMN logo on his story and then suddenly “POOF!” he’s on campus taking pictures with students in Dinkytown.
From my understanding, he spent some time walking around Dinkytown during the afternoon before heading to the Huntington Bank Stadium to meet with our marching band. At that point in the day, one, everybody knew of his presence on campus, and two, people were getting out of class. This combination is surely a recipe for what many call “a mob of fans” for a Where’s Waldo situation.
And oh, it was. Outside the Bank stadium, a behemoth of a crowd was apparently building, so I thought, “I should definitely go there, you know, as a reporter for the Minnesota Daily!” Not because I secretly kind of wanted to see Timothée Chalamet, that wasn’t why. Pshh, definitely not why.
And so I went. I wanted to talk to some superfans waiting outside the stadium to get the vibe of what was going on there. And let me tell you, it was the most electric group of people you could imagine. You could literally feel the energy. I talked to students Allie Mattson, Katlyn Meinke, Lucy Auth, Maddi Leucuta and Izzy Colwell about what’s going on.
MCDONNELL: Alright, what are we doing here?
GROUP: We’re looking for Timothée Chalamet!
MCDONNELL: Awesome. So, how come we’re at Huntington Bank Stadium right now? What’s going on?
GROUP: He posted on his Instagram story, so I was in my dorm and I just kind of ran over here, so. We all started texting, we’re like, we must go, and whether we’re being gaslit or not, we’re gonna stand out in the cold anyway.
MCDONNELL: Yeah, yeah. How long have you guys been standing here?
GROUP: Probably like a half hour. Yeah. Forty-five minutes. Fifteen. People have been here longer than us. Yeah. We like sprinted across the street in oncoming traffic. Didn’t care that cars were coming.
MCDONNELL: Are you guys big fans of Timothée Chalamet or it’s just like famous guy is here?
GROUP: I love Little Women. I love Little Women.
MCDONNELL: Yeah, OK, what is everyone’s favorite movie by him?
GROUP: I don’t know. I can’t think of any right now. Probably like, yeah, I can’t think. Somebody else go. Dune maybe.
MCDONNELL: Which one? Part one or two?
GROUP: Part one. I love Little Women. I also really like Dune. I love Little Women and Call Me By Your Name. Oh, I was gonna, OK, that was.
MCDONNELL: Now, say, hypothetically, for the listeners, we are standing outside a door. Hypothetically, Timothée Chalamet walks out this door in ten seconds. What are you guys going to do?
GROUP: Probably all taking our phones out. I’m going to cry. Plug my ears because it’s going to be so loud. Chill approach. We don’t want to like run.
MCDONNELL: As you can see, it was pretty hectic there! But during the interview, it got even more chaotic.
Alright, in action here, apparently Timothée Chalamet, we might be getting some action. We oh, doors are open. Doors are open.
Timothée Chalamet did not walk out of that door, unfortunately. His bodyguard came out and told the screaming crowd the incredibly important message of, “I can tell you that he is inside.” Good to know.
Anyway, I kept hopping around the crowd, talking to the Chala-men and women wanting to see their celebrity. Students Tyler Donnell and Thanh Trinh paint the picture of the scene.
And, alright, so I just got here. What’s the crowd been like? And like, how much movement has there been?
TYLER DONNELL & THANH TRINH: Alright, so. More people have been showing up. There’s been a lot of movement whenever the slightest thing happens. You know, one of these, uh, tinted out cars pulls up, people run towards it, crowd it, and then they switch to the other gate, other gate, running around the stadium. It’s been crazy out here.
MCDONNELL: I can attest to that. I was also curious if this crowd had only attracted the biggest of fans. Donnell is definitely a big fan.
DONNELL: I am actually a very big fanboy of his, you know? I think a picture with him would make my life complete.
MCDONNELL: The crowd was filled with excitement. And although it did feel like there were only superfans there, some people in the crowd actually weren’t massive fans, they just wanted to see a famous guy! Like freshman Bren Palashewski.
So we’re here to see Timothée Chalamet as you know. Alright, you’re a huge fan?
BREN PALASHEWSKI: I’m a moderate fan. I mean, I’ve seen a couple of his things. Not terribly.
MCDONNELL: So, then give me the reason, you know, you’re here.
PALASHEWSKI: I don’t know, just something really amps people up about seeing celebrities. It’s kind of like a social experiment. But also, I must admit, I just want to get a glimpse of him too.
MCDONNELL: Yeah, and how long have you been waiting here?
PALASHEWSKI: Like about an hour.
MCDONNELL: That is dedication right there, especially for someone you aren’t a big fan of. Palashewski was also at the scene when, supposedly, Timmy made a quick appearance.
Did you see him waving?
PALASHEWSKI: Yes. It was so crazy. Everyone was screaming. It was just crazy.
MCDONNELL: Did he come out and say anything?
PALASHEWSKI: Yes. I couldn’t hear him though. He like made a heart with his hands and everyone went nuts.
MCDONNELL: Ski-U-Mah! Ski-U-Mah!
Finally, Palashewski says how crowds like this can be a little intimidating.
PALASHEWSKI: It was a little scary when people saw him cause like people just run and they don’t care about anyone else.
MCDONNELL: Yeah.
PALASHEWSKI: But luckily I’m a little sturdy, so I didn’t get knocked over.
MCDONNELL: Yeah, there you go.
What a time to be a Gopher! After my interviews, I quickly went to the Gopher Fan Store to warm my hands up a bit, and when I left to go back to the crowd, most of the crowd had left! I’m not sure if I missed him or something, but that felt like my cue to leave as well.
In the end, I never saw actor, star, Mr. Jawline Timothée Chalamet, but it almost felt like I did. The crowd’s reaction to every little thing that happened was so fun that it probably got me more excited than if Timothée Chalamet actually walked out those doors. Sure, it would have been cool to see him, but the crowd itself gave me more than a reason to be standing outside in the freezing cold of a 10 degree winter day.
Chalamet ended his night here on campus by doing a screening of his movie at the Main Cinema, and then an after-party at the Varsity Theater. So now everybody will remember Dec. 5, 2024, the day a famous person willingly came to the cold campus of the University of Minnesota.
This episode was written by Owen McDonnell and produced by Kaylie Sirovy. Thanks for checking it out, and feel free to send us a message to our email inbox at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns. Again, I’m Owen McDonnell, Ski-U-Mah, and I hope you enjoyed the episode.
