Timothée Chalamet demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to embodying Bob Dylan for his role in the upcoming film, "A Complete Unknown," to the extent that he imposed a strict no-visitors, no-friends policy during filming. The 28-year-old star of "Wonka" headlines James Mangold's new biopic on the iconic "Blowin' in the Wind" crooner, based on Elijah Wald's 2015 tome, "Dylan Goes Electric!," which chronicles the controversy surrounding Dylan's transition to electric instrumentation in 1965.
The film also boasts an ensemble cast featuring Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, loosely inspired by Dylan's early sweetheart, Suze Rotolo, Monica Barbaro portraying Dylan's ex, Joan Baez, and Edward Norton as the late Pete Seeger.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, ahead of the film's December 25 release, Norton shed light on Chalamet's unwavering commitment to staying immersed in the role of Dylan. "No visitors, no friends, no handlers, nothing. 'Nobody comes near us while we're in this,'" Norton recounted, mimicking Chalamet's stern directive. "We're striving to do our utmost with a subject that's so revered and sacred to numerous individuals. And I completely concurred – we couldn't afford any sort of audience for this. We had to immerse ourselves fully. And Chalamet was absolutely right to be so protective."
Barbaro echoed this sentiment, recalling how Chalamet remained "in his own universe" on set, mirroring "the way Bob often was." She added that this solitary demeanor actually facilitated the dynamic between Dylan and Joan on screen. Barbaro recounted an incident where Mangold interrupted a casual conversation between her and Chalamet to inform him that he had lost his Dylan-like vocal tone. "At that moment," Barbaro said, "we both just thought, 'No more chatting!'"
Chalamet attributed his method acting approach to his former co-stars, like Christian Bale ("Hostiles") and Oscar Isaac ("Dune"), who "guarded their process fiercely, especially for roles that felt like walking a tightrope." He noted that staying in character took him back to his acting origins, "when people weren't curious about your work process because they didn't know who you were yet, like my experience on 'Call Me By Your Name.'"
"I'd lie awake in panic, worried about losing a moment of character discovery – no matter how pretentious that may sound – because I was distracted by my phone or other interruptions," Chalamet confessed.
"A Complete Unknown," which premieres in the US on December 25 and in the UK on January 17, showcases Chalamet's own vocal and guitar talents. "I had three months to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparation," he shared. "While I was in character, that was my sole focus. He deserved that and even more.... I couldn't bear the thought of missing a beat because I was being Timmy. I can be Timmy for the rest of my life!"
