A Complete Unknown is directed and co-scripted by James Mangold. It stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan as he arrives in New York in 1961 and follows his beginnings as a Greenwich Village musician in the Gaslight Café through to his appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Convention and the recording of Highway 61 Revisited. It co-stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvia Russo, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez.
Nadine Whitney attended an international press conference with Timothée Chalamet thanks to Searchlight Pictures. InSession Film begins the interview with the question Nadine asked and moves on with Timothée’s answers to general audience questions and those presented by journalists around the world.
Nadine Whitney: At one stage, you, as Bob Dylan, say, “People ask me where my songs come from. Don’t they know they come from them?” Did that give you a guide as how to project Dylan as a person?
Timothée Chalamet: Yes. Good question. I can’t say that that specifically was on my mind when we were shooting, but just to the sentiment of what you’re saying, at least the version of Bob that we see in this film. I couldn’t speak to the actual artist in real life. ‘Cause he could very well disagree with me.
But I think that sort of sentiment means the art is in the air. In other words, it’s not building an impressive structure of eight blocks that didn’t preexist. He’s saying my songs and what I’m talking about, they’re the songs of human experience and the songs of cultural happenings. And they’re lyricized and put to music, you know? It’s sort of a clever and self- effacing way to cut out your own genius in the case of Bob in this film.
I think that’s what was incredible about Bob’s work is the timelessness of that work. If you think about ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ or ‘Times They Are A-Changin’, they’re songs that are ever present and true.
And because in a sense, some of his topical songwriting like ‘Death of Emmett Till’ or ‘Talkin’
John Birch Paranoid Blues’, those are very specific to something that was happening in society at that time. ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ or ‘Times They Are A-Changin’, they don’t have specific cultural references that date them in some way. So, they’re ever present to this day, they remain relevant and listenable to a new ear. Relating to the present moment, still pointing a way forward, shining a light.
I can say that someone who’s so gifted like Bob at a young age who’s figuring out your gift,
what more he has to say; it is he isn’t cooking food for the hundredth time with a recipe that’s preordained but is figuring out as he goes along.
That’s what I like about these scenes where he is coming up with lyrics at 3 or 4:00 AM and can’t put the pen down. There’s no social ethics code to that. And short of cruel behavior, I think, one of the admirable traits to Bob in the film is he put his work first. That his pursuit of great work was in pursuit of great work. It wasn’t about how it affected the people around him.
On carrying a guitar around for five years, learning to play, and feeling ready to perform as Bob Dylan, musician and singer:
Timothée Chalamet: I feel that the years of practice gave me a certain confidence. And that also at some point, I just put myself in James Mangold’s hands, the director of the project, and trusted him as I would trust any acclaimed film director of the pedigree and reputation that is James Mangold. But especially James because he had directed Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line and had literally a hand of experience in directing musical biopics.
I was in Mangold’s hands, and I felt very safe. It was more about pushing very specifically in
the direction of Bob without being too concerned about doing ‘everything, everywhere, all at once.’
I was trying to encapsulate the whole (essence of Bob Dylan). That’s just sort of the actor I am, you know, as opposed to zeroing in on something.
I feel that on any project your mind can know you’re acting, the audience can know you’re acting, but your body doesn’t necessarily know you’re acting. You go through the experience that the character’s going through.
When we shot the Newport 1965 sequence and having the reaction of the crowd and putting your best foot forward, or putting Bob’s best foot forward, which was with his music from ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ and the newer stuff he was working on. The electric reaction from the crowd, I lived that. It was an incredible thing to go through.
It felt really like an honor to bring life to this moment that happened in 1965. It felt like diligent work.
Bob Dylan became a part of life. The constraining factor of the pandemic that we all lived through, was having a lot of time on my hands and being at home. I had already started guitar lessons in New York with Larry Saltzman, who’s a fabulously talented guitar player and teacher. I have my musical theater background from high school, but I don’t know if even today I would consider myself a singer. I really worked at it; you know? I fell deeply in love with this music. It’s hard not to.
It’s not unique to me. That’s why there’s millions of fans all over the globe. Because Dylan’s music is, while relatable and has had a mass success over the last decades, is also deeply poetic and emotional and grand. It’s fabulous thing for a young artist like me to dive into over the course of my twenties: just the greatest artist and musician to learn from.
On working with Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez:
Timothée Chalamet: Monica’s work on the movie is extraordinary. We were supposed to shoot this the summer prior when the Screen Actors Guild strike happened, and I think Monica was very grateful to have the extra year to work on the role. And it really shows in the work. She’s able to capture the essence of Joan Baez’s spirit in a really beautiful and faithful fashion. Monica was as fastidious and dedicated student towards the existing footage of Bob and Joan performing together, whether at Newport or other venues, as I was so we would be able to both bring our attention to detail to work.
On becoming a Bob Dylan fan:
Timothée Chalamet: It’s the gift that keeps on giving to be a fan of Bob Dylan, like other great artists too, you know? You just peel back one layer and there’s another layer and there’s another layer and there’s another layer. You can almost never get enough. That’s how I felt to work on this. And not work on it, just to be in the world of Bob Dylan to this day.
A Complete Unknown releases wide in the United States on December 25, 2024, with other territories to follow through Searchlight Pictures. This interview has been edited for clarity.
