If you’ve been wondering why everyone’s talking about the new Bleu de Chanel campaign, then we have the answers. For a start, there are some BIG names involved – it’s being directed by one of cinema’s biggest icons, Martin Scorsese. Yes, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Wolf of Wall Street – that Martin Scorsese. And it stars one of Hollywood’s major young stars, Franco-American actor Timothée Chalamet, soon to be seen in one of autumn/winter’s biggest blockbusters, the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two in November, and the Willy Wonka origin story, Wonka, due for release at the end of this year. Fans are also buzzing about the Bleu de Chanel advert song and how it adds to the campaign's allure.
27-year-old Chalamet is the Eau de Toilette’s new ambassador, replacing the late French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who had appeared in an earlier, Scorsese-directed campaign for the scent in 2010.
Ulliel and Bleu’s 2018 ad also had an acclaimed movie director at the helm: Steve McQueen (Shame, 12 Years a Slave, Widows):
French actor Ulliel was the face of the men’s fragrance for 12 years. He tragically died at the age of 37 following a skiing accident, in January 2022.
The New Ambassador for Bleu
Timothée Chalamet’s meteoric rise to international acclaim began with his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 coming of age film Call Me by Your Name. His disarming, magnetic portrayal earned him an Academy Award nod for Best Actor — and he also made history, as the category’s third youngest nominee ever.
Since then, he’s proved his flexibility, appearing in everything from Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women to Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up, and most recently Guadagnino’s Bones and All. Not to mention he’s portraying Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, which starts shooting this summer.
Vogue Business thinks Chalamet’s appointment as the face of Bleu ‘underlines an ongoing shift away from traditional notions of masculinity across the beauty industry’, and his selection certainly points to the heritage brand setting their sights on a younger demographic.
Chalamet and Scorsese were spotted shooting the campaign film – which is due to drop this autumn – out and about on the streets of New York in April.
What do we know so far? Well, filming has taken place on a rainy platform in Astoria Boulevard Station, with Chalamet looking sharp in a suit, and there’s a scene set on the subway carriage.
The print ad campaign has been shot by Mario Sorrenti, who has also directed the video announcing Chalamet as the fragrance’s new ambassador, looking brooding and with a blue filter, soundtracked by – who else – The Moody Blues. Their most famous track, ‘Nights in White Satin’, originally released in 1967, is sure to find some new fans now it’s been featured in this spot.
It’s all we have for the moment, so, watch this space for an update when the final campaign film drops…
Ad-spiration
Check out more iconic ambassadors, with Ryan Gosling’s fun-filled ad for Tag Heuer, and Daniel Craig having a ball for Belvedere Vodka. Want more Oscar-winning directors lending their expertise to ads? Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) has created an award-winning, heart-warming ad for Vanish. Explore The Edit for our monthly roundups of the best ad creatives.
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This page was updated 27/06/2024.
