Going viral during awards season is not necessarily a good thing. Look no further than the unearthed social media posts of “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón for the most extreme example of how an actor’s online behavior can sink a film’s chances.

But in other cases social media can be a tool for a contender. Timothée Chalamet, a best actor nominee for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in the biopic “A Complete Unknown,” knows this. Leading up to the Christmas release of his film and through the ensuing months on the awards trail, Chalamet has waged a highly amusing, sometimes odd, campaign eschewing the old, staid ways of Hollywood promotion. In addition to some somber interviews about how much Dylan means to him, Chalamet has posted videos of himself dancing, worn kitschy outfits and turned social media feeds into his own personal art project.

While Chalamet has appeared on traditional media, he has utilized it in surprising ways where virality seems to be the end goal rather than reaching typical viewers of those programs.

What we’re witnessing is perhaps the first Gen Z Oscar campaign. Technically, Chalamet, who was born in 1995, is a millennial, but he’s a child of the internet who understands its weird contours and knows that sometimes a post doesn’t have to make sense to be appealing. This won’t necessarily translate to Oscar gold, but it has certainly been fun to watch it unfold. Here are Chalamet’s greatest hits from this very unusual Oscar run.

The first sign that Chalamet was doing something different with his promotional campaign for “A Complete Unknown” came when he appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in early December. It’s typical for celebrities to show up on the broadcast and join the analysts in predicting which teams are going to win the day’s matchups, but Chalamet, who broke out in art-house indie films, seemed like an odd choice for the gig.

If you had to pick the polar opposite of the world of the Oscars, you might land somewhere in the realm of college football. And yet, Chalamet showed up ready to impress in a bright pink puffer jacket and had commentators like Pat McAfee gasping with his informed predictions for what was going to unfold on the field. The stop on his tour was oddly endearing because of his genuine enthusiasm. “The RedHawks defense looks good but I’m looking at fourth-year Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro!” he exclaimed before pointing out Navarro’s impressive stats and picking Ohio University to defeat Miami of Ohio. Ohio won later that day; Chalamet was the only panelist to make the correct pick. Perhaps this waifish movie star is actually a football bro in disguise?

Unusual interviews

Most actors playing iconic musicians take on the job with a certain reverence, treating their subjects like holy, untouchable figures. And while Chalamet certainly has expressed his respect for Dylan, he also took on some of Dylan’s impish prankster quality. Case in point: His performance — if you want to call it that — of “Visions of Johanna” on a pier in New York City. Wearing a leather Yankees jacket and one of the $195 sweatshirts he created with the brand Nahmias as hypebeast-inspired merch for the movie, he sang along and lip-synced to the track off “Blonde on Blonde” that many consider among Dylan’s crowning achievements. At one point Chalamet pretended his iPhone was a harmonica. He later would post similar videos of himself bouncing around to Edith Piaf in Paris and F.R. David in Italy. (The latter was on the “Call Me By Your Name” soundtrack — a deep cut for the Timmy fans.)

Bizarre Instagram Live

Just before Christmas — the day of the “A Complete Unknown” release — Chalamet went live on Instagram. The stream began with Chalamet in a vast and empty warehouse, sitting in an office chair in front of a massive screen playing slow motion clips of Dylan as Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell” played. That was, at least, on theme. As the song ended, Chalamet smashed a guitar, and the tone radically shifted. Instead of another Dylan tune, the next track was the Black Eyed Peas 2009 bar mitzvah staple “I Gotta Feeling.” Dylan’s face disappeared and was replaced by messages like the intentionally misspelled “congratulations timmothee” and “good luck with your future.” Chalamet shot off confetti and danced around in a tank top, which he eventually took off. Was it ironic performance art? Quite possibly. Was it entertaining? Definitely.

“Saturday Night Live”

Perhaps the crown jewel in Chalamet’s alternative Oscar campaign was his stint on “Saturday Night Live.” Oscar contenders have been known to host the sketch show for extra exposure. To appear as host and musical guest when you’re not an established recording artist? That’s a new tactic. Chalamet’s appearance could have been a disaster: Instead it was sort of weirdly brilliant. Rather than doing Dylan cosplay and just mimicking what he did in “A Complete Unknown,” Chalamet chose underrated Dylan tracks remixed for modern ears. It was a risk, but one that paid off, with Dylanologists and casual observers alike giving him props for his boldness.

The Oscar trail is littered with red carpet photos featuring high-fashion suits. Chalamet used his various premieres and other events for jokes and self expression. At a New York premiere for “A Complete Unknown” he wore a blond wig and a beanie, recreating a particularly strange look Dylan rocked once at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003. He rode into the London premiere on an e-bike — perhaps a reference to “going electric,” like Dylan did at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a moment depicted in the film.

And then, at the Berlin International Film Festival, he stepped out in an all-pink ensemble, including a hoodie and tank top from celeb-loved brand Chrome Hearts. He looked less like an Oscar contender and more like a boy-band member circa 2001. Dressing down might indicate you don’t care about the pomp and circumstance of these events, but Chalamet’s sartorial playfulness doesn’t come off as disrespectful. Instead, he’s just aiming to rewrite the rules, melding the moment to his own, youthful brand of celebrity.

A Serious SAG Speech

Oscar voting had already closed by the time Chalamet picked up his first major award of the season at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. But his win was a sign that he could very well be up on the Oscars stage this Sunday. Chalamet — wearing a leather suit, a lime green shirt and a bolo tie in tribute to another one-time Dylan look — offered up a speech that reaffirmed that he was serious about his job, despite all the playful internet content of the previous months. He said the quiet part out loud, arguing that the trophy affirmed his quest to be considered one of the best of all time.

“I’m really in pursuit of greatness,” he said. “I know people don’t usually talk like that but I want to be one of the greats.” He went on to explain that he’s as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis as he is Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. It was another glimpse into the psyche that loves College GameDay as much as the Oscars.