Timothée Chalamet pranked by Tilda Swinton during standing ovation for The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson’s new film, The French Dispatch, had its long-awaited premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday (12 July), and Tilda Swinton celebrated the occasion with a schoolgirl-esque prank on fellow cast member Timothée Chalamet.

The pair were both in the audience as Anderson’s latest work received a nine-minute standing ovation. As the applause rang out, Swinton embraced Chalamet while surreptitiously affixing her ‘Tilda Swinton’ seat-holder sign to his back.

The moment was captured by Variety executive editor Ramin Setoodeh, who wrote on Twitter: ““Look at what Tilda Swinton did to Timothee Chalamet during The French Dispatch standing ovation.” You can watch the moment below:

The French Dispatch also stars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Léa Seydoux, Elisabeth Moss, Jeffrey Wright, Saoirse Ronan and Owen Wilson. The film’s official synopsis calls it “a love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in ‘The French Dispatch’.”

Early reviews have been largely positive, with The Hollywood Reporter writing: “While The French Dispatch might seem like an anthology of vignettes without a strong overarching theme, every moment is graced by Anderson’s love for the written word and the oddball characters who dedicate their professional lives to it.” 

Reference: Independent: Kevin E G Perry