Timothée Chalamet is arguably one of the best actors of his generation, who makes certain performances seem completely effortless in their execution. While he has more than proven himself (with an Oscar nomination under his belt before the age of 30), it appears that Chalamet wanted to go the extra mile to play iconic musician Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Obviously understanding the importance of bringing the legendary musician to life, Chalamet put himself in a headspace so immersive that he practically cut himself off from everything but the work.
Chalamet is the subject of a new Rolling Stone cover story that dives into his process in A Complete Unknown. Elle Fanning was one of a few co-stars interviewed for the piece, and she revealed that she was told that the actor would mostly “keep to himself” while filming so he could be fully invested in properly bringing Dylan to life. Chalamet’s name was listed as Bob Dylan on the film’s call sheet and Fanning reveals a funny pre-production meeting, when she was told she would be meeting James Mangold and “Bob.”
“I was thinking about all these things to say and ask. I was picking out my outfit. I’m meeting Bob Dylan today. I’m probably the first person in life to be let down by having a rehearsal with Timothée Chalamet, right? Like, the first girl in history.”
More of Chalamet’s co-stars shared similar stories about the actor’s methods on set. While he wasn’t so immersed that it could be deemed inappropriate or offensive (looking at you, Jared Leto), he was razor-focused. Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez in the film, recalled first meeting the actor as Dylan and not as himself. Barbaro said, “It wasn’t full on. It wasn’t ‘Don’t look him in the eye’ or anything like that. We said hi, gave each other a hug. I was like, ‘I saw Dune! [But Chalamet did stay] in his own world [on set] in a way that I think Bob often was as well. And it was actually really conducive to the dynamic between Bob and Joan.”
Timothée Chalamet’s Methods Were Respected by His Co-Stars
Perhaps the best person to comment on Chalamet’s process is Edward Norton, who co-stars in the film as Pete Seeger. Norton has had a reputation for diving deep into his roles since he got his big break in 1996’s Primal Fear. The actor respected Chalamet for being “protective” of achieving a belief that what they were creating was as real as possible, and he said that the actor was “relentless” in his determination to be Dylan as much as he could while filming.
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Scoot McNairy Praises A Complete Unknown Co-Star Timothée Chalamet: ‘An Exceptional Performance’
The ever-busy actor spoke to MovieWeb leading up to the release of Speak No Evil, which sees McNairy facing off against a maniacal James McAvoy.
“No visitors, no friends, no reps, no nothing. ‘Nobody comes around us while we’re doing this.’ We’re trying to do the best we can with something that’s so totemic and sacrosanct to many people. And I agree totally – it was like, we cannot have a f*cking audience for this. We’ve got to believe to the greatest degree we can. And he was right to be that protective.”
Chalamet himself commented on his process for A Complete Unknown, saying it was important for him to be transported back to a time as an actor when no one was aware of who he was, and cared more about the film than his work in it. Despite his incredible talent as a performer, Chalamet has achieved a level of celebrity that unfortunately makes him a tabloid fixture. For A Complete Unknown, he wanted to strip himself of that.
“It was something I would go to sleep panicked about: losing a moment of discovery as the character — no matter how pretentious that sounds — because I was on my phone or because of any distraction. I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparing to play him. So while I was in it, that was my eternal focus. He deserved that and then more.… God forbid I missed a step because I was being Timmy. I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!”
Directed by Mangold from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jay Cocks, A Complete Unknown is based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, and chronicles the controversy of Dylan’s switch to electrically amplified instrumentation. In addition to Chalamet, Fanning, Barbaro, and Norton, the film also stars Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Scoot McNairy, and Norbert Leo Butz, among others.
- Release Date
- December 25, 2024
- Cast
- Timothée Chalamet , Edward Norton , Elle Fanning , Monica Barbaro , Nick Offerman , Boyd Holbrook , P.J. Byrne , Scoot McNairy , Dan Fogler , Will Harrison , Charlie Tahan , Jon Gennari , Norbert Leo Butz
- Distributor(s)
- Searchlight Pictures