Kyle Chandler's role in the 2015 film Carol nearly didn't happen after he initially declined the part, fearing he could not match the calibre of his acclaimed co-stars. His wife Kathryn persuaded him to reconsider, and the decision paid off; Chandler received considerable critical praise for his performance alongside Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Todd Haynes's 1950s romantic drama. The film itself was showered with recognition, earning six Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations.

Chandler's casting in Carol came at a significant point in his career, which has spanned four decades since the late 1980s. He won an Emmy for Friday Night Lights and went on to secure supporting roles in numerous acclaimed films, including Super 8, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Carol, based on the novel The Price of Salt, is now considered one of the finest LGBTQ films in cinema history. In the same year, Chandler was Emmy-nominated for the Netflix series Bloodline, and in 2016 he starred in the acclaimed drama Manchester by the Sea.