Kendrick Lamar Tells Timothée Chalamet He ‘Goes Through the Emotions’ and Gets ‘Vulnerable’ When Writing

Mar. 15, 2025

Timothée Chalamet and Kendrick Lamar.Photo:Apple Music

Apple Music

Kendrick LamarandTimothée Chalametare embracing their craft.In a conversation ahead of Lamar’s2025 Super Bowl Halftime Showthat aired on NFL Network’sGood Morning Footballon Feb. 7, the"Not Like Us"rapper andA Complete Unknownstar discussed songwriting and acting.Lamar, 37,opened upabout staying in motion when it comes to songwriting and creating. “I’m always locked in and always trying new things,” he shared.Added the “Money Trees” artist: “I have to keep the pen moving. It’s my form of sanity. And it also has given me the opportunity to learn myself, you know, find out who I am.““When you’re writing, you got to sit and go through the emotions and be vulnerable about it, whether it’s a fun song or sad.” Lamar continued, regardless of the subject and whether it is a happy or sad song.“A lot of these records I write, man, a lot of stuff I probably would have never expressed or even known about myself if it wasn’t for an instrumental behind it.“Timothée Chalamet.Saturday Night Live/YouTubeDays before the interview, Lamar won fiveGrammys, includingsong of the yearandrecord of the yearfor “Not Like Us.“Meanwhile, Chalamet is nominated for best actor for his role asBob Dylanin the biopicA Complete Unknown. He spoke about getting into the headspace for acting.“The thing about acting is, if you don’t have an audience, it’s just a form of insanity. And you’re just, what are you doing?” Chalamet told Lamar. “So I definitely try to warm up and then, you know, lose that self-consciousness when you finally get back out there. But that takes time.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Chalamet also said that he’s always trying to “embrace failure.” “The most important part of a bad day is the way you leave it. If you can leave a bad take or a bad day with a positive attitude, then you’ve got nothing to fear.“Elsewhere in their conversation, Chalamet praised Lamar. “Just being a fan of your music forever and knowing like, look where you’re at now,” he said. “It’s just crazy, Super Bowl halftime show. You just keep climbing, bro. It’s like amazing.“Chalamet has dabbled in rapping, singing an original rap aboutStatisticsand also portraying TikTok stars onSaturday Night Live.He alsoperformed a song as Nicki Minajfor his high school’s talent show.Kendrick Lamar in February 2025.Michael Owens/GettyAhead of the halftime show, the 22-time Grammy winner teased that fans can expect to see “storytelling” throughout his performance.“I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling through, through all my catalog and my history of music, and I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on,” he said during a press conference withApple Music.The2025 Super Bowl, in which thePhiladelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs, airs on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 p.m. on Fox.

Kendrick LamarandTimothée Chalametare embracing their craft.

In a conversation ahead of Lamar’s2025 Super Bowl Halftime Showthat aired on NFL Network’sGood Morning Footballon Feb. 7, the"Not Like Us"rapper andA Complete Unknownstar discussed songwriting and acting.

Lamar, 37,opened upabout staying in motion when it comes to songwriting and creating. “I’m always locked in and always trying new things,” he shared.

Added the “Money Trees” artist: “I have to keep the pen moving. It’s my form of sanity. And it also has given me the opportunity to learn myself, you know, find out who I am.”

“When you’re writing, you got to sit and go through the emotions and be vulnerable about it, whether it’s a fun song or sad.” Lamar continued, regardless of the subject and whether it is a happy or sad song.

“A lot of these records I write, man, a lot of stuff I probably would have never expressed or even known about myself if it wasn’t for an instrumental behind it.”

Timothée Chalamet.Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Days before the interview, Lamar won fiveGrammys, includingsong of the yearandrecord of the yearfor “Not Like Us.”

Meanwhile, Chalamet is nominated for best actor for his role asBob Dylanin the biopicA Complete Unknown. He spoke about getting into the headspace for acting.

“The thing about acting is, if you don’t have an audience, it’s just a form of insanity. And you’re just, what are you doing?” Chalamet told Lamar. “So I definitely try to warm up and then, you know, lose that self-consciousness when you finally get back out there. But that takes time.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Chalamet also said that he’s always trying to “embrace failure.” “The most important part of a bad day is the way you leave it. If you can leave a bad take or a bad day with a positive attitude, then you’ve got nothing to fear.”

Elsewhere in their conversation, Chalamet praised Lamar. “Just being a fan of your music forever and knowing like, look where you’re at now,” he said. “It’s just crazy, Super Bowl halftime show. You just keep climbing, bro. It’s like amazing.”

Chalamet has dabbled in rapping, singing an original rap aboutStatisticsand also portraying TikTok stars onSaturday Night Live.He alsoperformed a song as Nicki Minajfor his high school’s talent show.

Kendrick Lamar in February 2025.Michael Owens/Getty

Michael Owens/Getty

Ahead of the halftime show, the 22-time Grammy winner teased that fans can expect to see “storytelling” throughout his performance.

“I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling through, through all my catalog and my history of music, and I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on,” he said during a press conference withApple Music.

The2025 Super Bowl, in which thePhiladelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs, airs on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 p.m. on Fox.

source: people.com