Timothée Chalamet's mom isn't surprised her kids have talent. She's more of a cheerleader than a 'momager.'

She knew helium was going to beryllium a prima earlier everyone else.

She knew it agelong earlier her then-teen lad ambled onto the signifier of the 1,150-seat auditorium astatine New York's LaGuardia High School with his baggy jeans falling disconnected his lanky frame, stealing the yearly endowment amusement with his Lil' Timmy Tim rapper routine; earlier helium made eating a peach an X-rated enactment enactment successful the coming-of-age movie "Call Me By Your Name"; and earlier he'd flip his mop of chaotic chestnut curls and person a gaggle of girls shriek his name.

In fact, arsenic the parent of 29-year-old histrion Timothée Chalamet, Nicole Flender knew helium was going to beryllium a occurrence erstwhile helium genuinely was a "complete unknown."

Before his babe look was connected the screen of Time magazine, earlier helium was the reply to a New York Times crossword puzzle, and agelong earlier his benignant made the best-dressed lists, helium was conscionable her son.

"He was a mean kid," Flender said. "He wanted to beryllium a shot star."

She's a ma to 2 stars

She knew the theatre was his calling erstwhile the assemblage went chaotic for his high schoolhouse rap persona — and not conscionable due to the fact that she was a biased ma who recognized his spark. "Everybody loved it," she told Business Insider.

His prima has surely risen. He's played fighters, lovers, Willy Wonka, and adjacent King Henry V. He's been successful 7 champion representation Oscar-nominated films and doubly been nominated for Academy Awards, for his show arsenic a lovestruck teen successful "Call Me By Your Name" and as instrumentalist Bob Dylan successful the biopic "A Complete Unknown."

Flender is often his plus-one connected the reddish carpet. "The photographers emotion us," she said. "They ever privation maine to get successful the picture. They similar to spot a lad who is adjacent to his mother."

She's successful a distinctive presumption arsenic the parent of 2 stars. Timothée's sister, Pauline Chalamet, 4 years his senior, is an histrion and a manager who splits her clip betwixt Paris and Los Angeles. She precocious starred successful Mindy Kaling's HBO Max series, "The Sex Lives of College Girls."

Thanks to Pauline, Flender volition observe her archetypal Mother's Day arsenic a grandma. "That's what I'll beryllium called — it's what my grandma was called and what my kids called my mom," she said.

She's not amazed her kids are talented

Flender isn't amazed that her kids person talent. They travel from a showbiz family. Their grandmother, Enid Flender, danced connected Broadway successful shows like "Kiss Me Kate," and their grandfather, Hal Flender, was an writer and tv writer who worked with galore drama greats, including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen.

She's a trained ballerina who spent years connected nationalist tours with musicals including "Fiddler" and "Gypsy." Her member Rodman Flender, a kid actor, has been a filmmaker and TV manager for shows similar "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."

Timothée was a performer astatine a young age, entertaining family, friends, and classmates. In simple school, helium did Disney commercials. In mediate school, helium appeared connected "Law & Order." Flender excitedly emailed everyone she knew astir his prime-time debut, adjacent though his quality was murdered successful the archetypal minutes of the show.

Flender modestly takes small recognition for her kids' success. Both carved their ain paths, she said. Pauline pursued ballet, starring successful "The Nutcracker" astatine Lincoln Center with the School of American Ballet. "It was similar grooming for the Olympics," Flender said. Now she has her ain accumulation company.

Timothée excelled astatine question soccer, she said, and his chess, sports, and Tae Kwon Do trophies inactive adorn the shelves successful her theatre territory apartment, on with his acting awards.

She utilized to telephone him Tiny Tim

Known arsenic "Timmy" to his friends and family, she called him "Tiny Tim" oregon "Toothless Tim" and aboriginal "Tall Tim" connected household vacation cards, depending connected his existent status.

"He's ever been independent," she said. At 17, Timothée had his parents (his French dada is simply a erstwhile journalist) motion papers saying helium didn't request a chaperone successful Canada to movie "Interstellar," successful which helium plays Matthew McConaughey's son. "He makes his ain decisions astir what projects to pursue," she said, adding that she's much of a cheerleader than a "momager."

In fact, her kids seldom inquire her for counsel connected large beingness decisions. "He told maine aft the fact" that helium had purchased what's reportedly an $11 cardinal mansion successful Beverly Hills, contempt the information that she's a existent property cause astatine the Corcoran Group successful New York.

She besides avoids offering dating advice. Her lad has had a roster of personage girlfriends, starting with Madonna's girl Lourdes Leon successful precocious school, the Mexican vocalist Eiza González, and Johnny Depp's daughter, Lily-Rose. He's present dating Kylie Jenner, a multimillionaire entrepreneur and portion of the Kardashian clan.

Flender is often the past to cognize what's happening successful her son's life. "Kylie was the 1 who told maine that helium would big 'Saturday Night Live' for the 3rd time," she said.

Hollywood hasn't changed her son

Being his day for the SAG Awards was besides a last-minute surprise. "I got a substance connected the Thursday earlier to inquire if I'd beryllium his day for that Saturday," she said.

She raided her closet for a slinky achromatic gown and hopped connected a plane. When she joined him for the Oscars, she borrowed a royal-blue fig from a friend.

There are perks to being a star's ma during grant season: She's had full-glam hairsbreadth and constitution done and been outfitted by Louis Vuitton. Cartier jewelers erstwhile blinged her with priceless diamonds for the Golden Globes. "They sound connected your edifice doorway astatine 9 o'clock the adjacent morning, asking for them back," she noted.

Hollywood hasn't changed her son, she said. "Not astatine heart. He keeps himself grounded."

She remembers erstwhile she and Timothée could locomotion down the thoroughfare unrecognized. Now, adjacent a vicinity stroll could extremity up arsenic paparazzi fodder.

"They photographed america unneurotic successful Soho and LA a twelvemonth apart, and I was wearing the aforesaid vintage Fiorucci shirt," she said, laughing. "He bought it for me, truthful I deterioration it erstwhile we're unneurotic to amusement him I emotion it."

Despite her children's fame, Flender is precise private. She'll occasionally station an Instagram photograph of herself dolled up for an awards show, but she avoids speechmaking societal media mentions of either kid.

She's often surrounded by A-listers but says she's not starstruck. Yet, she does admit to dropping her son's sanction to get a photograph with the hoops fable Charles Barkley astatine a barroom recently. "I told him my lad was a large hoops instrumentality and helium was blessed to airs with 'Timothée's mom,'" she said.

Most of all, she's arrogant to person 2 kids who person surpassed thing she could've imagined. "All I privation is for them to beryllium happy," she said.