Timothée Chalamet reveals the magic behind the Dylan biopic: “I’ve never approached a character so intensely as Bob”

When Timothée Chalamet was offered the chance to play Bob Dylan in a movie based on his life, the then-23-year-old admitted that he barely knew anything about the legendary musician.

After years in production, the film ‘A Complete Unknown’ was released last December and has received glowing reviews, particularly for Chalamet’s portrayal of Dylan. It has garnered eight nominations for this year’s Academy Awards and earnt Chalamet a nod for Best Actor, the second of his young career.

Speaking on CBS News' 60 Minutes, Chalamet revealed that he sought to replicate elements of the famous recluse’s life while filming for ‘A Complete Unknown’. This extended to not using his cell on set and refusing to have visitors.

He explained: “I’ve never approached a character so intensely as Bob, ‘cause I have such respect for the material. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I-- if I remembered that I was lazy on a day where something went wrong.”

Work on the film began in January 2020 and Chalamet was quickly identified as a strong candidate to play the lead role. But the Covid-19 pandemic and Hollywood strikes, along with a growing list of other commitments, delayed the production and Chalamet ended up having five years to fully encapsulate Dylan.

“I give 170% in everything I’m doing,” he said. “I’m giving it my all. Something like the Dylan project, these aren’t watered-down experiences. I’m going Daniel Day-Lewis on all of them. I’m not saying in process, but I’m saying a level of commitment. And I don’t know, man, it sounds like I’m desperate, saying that or something, but...”

Chalamet even visited a now-famous New York nightclub that a young Dylan first made his name in music. The Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village, Manhattan is considered sacred territory in the history of rock and folk music. Dylan wrote fondly of the “subterranean cavern” where he first performed in NYC. However Chalamet was left unimpressed by how the modern-day venue compares to Dylan’s description.

“This was one of his, you know, jump points. This was, like, really a place where you could just go play folk music in the ’60s, early ’60s. And, I went during the movie, during the production, and it ain’t the same."

Chalamet continued: “Now it’s Aerosmith covers, and AC/DC, and, also worthy art, but... Very different.”

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