Watch exclusive BTS footage of Timothée Chalamet and Martin Scorsese

Remember earlier this year when paparazzi shots of Timothée Chalamet and Martin Scorsese filming a campaign for Chanel came out and the internet went wild? Well, after waiting patiently all summer, we are now less than a week away until the short film is released and we’re able to share an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

In the footage, we see Chalamet and Scorsese on set at various locations around New York City as they film the campaign which, as Scorsese says, takes the original idea of Bleu de Chanel from 2010 and brings it up to date for our current state of celebrity culture and ideas about fame. “The world has changed, there’s another aspect to celebrity in a way which is even more extreme than ten or 15 years ago,” Scorsese says.

The short film follows Chalamet as he plays a “sort of caricature” of himself and what his life as an actor might seem like from the outside, from appearing in a film within a film where he is a character called Simon who is “married to his art more than his relationships”, to all the publicity requirements that come with acting. We see Chalamet give a manic Tom Cruise-esque performance during a talk show as well as someone romantic scenes in the rain while in the film-within-the-film. Ultimately, Scorsese says, it’s about “the conflict between celebrity and staying true to being an artist” and not allowing the bright lights of fame to blind you to reality but staying authentic to yourself and your instincts.

For Chalamet, getting to work with such a legend of the industry, particularly one so intimately connected to his hometown, was a dream come true. “It’s one of the highest honours, if not the highest honour of my career, to get to work with Martin Scorsese in New York,” he says in the short documentary. “I’m a New York boy, I’m a New York actor, I’m checking something huge off the personal bucket list.”

Back in May when Chanel announced Chalamet as the new face of the Bleu de Chanel fragrance, the actor spoke to Dazed about how natural it felt to collaborate with the iconic French fashion house. “I didn’t have to sell myself on anything when I was asked to become the new ambassador of Bleu de Chanel,” he said. “The decision was not dissimilar to agreeing to do a film. I am lucky to be at a place in my career where I have the opportunity to curate and choose projects that strike my passion. When so many fingers in the glove feel like they fit, it becomes a no-brainer.”

For the half-French Chalamet, the partnership was also an opportunity to strengthen his relationship with his heritage and culture. “As I’ve grown older, I have connected more with the French side of myself, which is why the Bleu de Chanel ambassadorship is appealing at this time,” he said. “America is ahead of the times and trendsetting in many ways, but at the same time France has fashion, self-expression and identity that clashes beautifully with a very traditional French passive way of life. I’ve come to realise and embrace these contradictions of each culture and within myself.”

Watch the BTS footage above, read our full interview with Chalamet here and keep your eyes peeled for the campaign which drops October 16.