Timothée Chalamet is taking a bold and unconventional approach to portraying Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown. In an exclusive interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, the 28-year-old actor discussed how his vocal and physical transformation into the legendary musician differs from the more traditional methods used by other actors in similar roles, such as Austin Butler in Elvis and Natalie Portman in Jackie.
In the interview, Chalamet explained that his portrayal of Dylan would not involve mimicking every move or gesture in a step-by-step, choreographed manner. “Somebody once said to me, you can’t make a movie about a painter because it’s not interesting to watch paint dry,” Chalamet said. “Bob has that element because he’s not one of these forward-facing musicians.”
Chalamet’s comments highlight his belief that Dylan’s unique persona as a musician didn’t lend itself to the kind of detailed, imitative performance that audiences have come to expect from biographical roles. The actor acknowledged that, while he admired Portman’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Jackie, which included precise recreations of real-life sequences, he realized that this method would not work for Dylan.
“Natalie Portman does a sequence in Jackie that is step-for-step exactly what Jackie did,” Chalamet explained. “That was sort of my aspiration—my layman’s aspiration—going into Bob.” However, after experimenting with various methods, Chalamet concluded that a more spontaneous and authentic approach would be more in line with Dylan’s own style.
The actor shared that, like his friend Austin Butler, who received praise for his transformative portrayal of Elvis Presley in Elvis, he initially sought out a vocal coach, a dialect coach, and a movement team to help him capture the essence of Dylan. “It was all this stuff that I saw my good friend Austin Butler crush it with on Elvis,” Chalamet said. But after some trial and error, he had a revelation: “Wait, I gotta do none of this because this is not my style.”
What Chalamet soon realized was that Dylan himself didn’t follow such structured training. “Bob did not have a vocal coach,” Chalamet said, describing Dylan’s famously gritty and unrefined voice. “He had two bottles of red wine and four packs of cigarettes. There’s no way to impersonate that.”
Instead of focusing on exact replication, Chalamet chose to embody Dylan’s spirit in a way that felt more natural and true to the musician’s rebellious and non-conformist personality. This decision allowed him to approach the role without being bogged down by the pressure of mimicry.
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A Complete Unknown is set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, following Dylan’s arrival in New York City at the age of 19. The biopic will explore his rise to fame, his intimate relationships, and the cultural upheaval caused by his departure from the folk movement. As the film’s official synopsis teases, Dylan grows restless with being defined by the folk scene and ultimately makes a choice that reverberates across the music world.
The film, directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line) and co-written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, also features Edward Norton as musician Pete Seeger. Other notable cast members include Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fowler, Norbert Leo Butz, and Scoot McNairy. The film promises to offer an intimate look at the transformative years of Dylan’s career as he navigates fame, personal relationships, and his growing artistic identity.
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes video released by PEOPLE in October, Chalamet further emphasized the authenticity of his portrayal, explaining that it was important for him to play and sing live on set. “It was in the spirit of the movie to do it live,” Chalamet said, as clips of him performing Dylan’s classic songs, “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” were shown. This commitment to live performance reflects Chalamet’s desire to capture the raw energy and authenticity of Dylan’s music, rather than relying on pre-recorded tracks or overly polished performances.
Fans will get more insight into Chalamet’s process when the first part of his interview with Zane Lowe airs on Apple Music 1 on November 11. The second part of the interview is scheduled for release in December, offering a deeper dive into Chalamet’s experience working on A Complete Unknown.
