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Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan in the Oscar-nominated film, A Complete Unknown. He trained for five years, mastering guitar and harmonica.
Timothée Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown will release in India on February 28.
Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet plays American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in Oscar-nominated film, A Complete Unknown. Not many know but Chalamet trained rigorously for five years to perfect his character for the film. It included intense musical training and a full immersion into Dylan’s world.
Chalamet was determined to take on the role head-on. “Once I was in it, there was no coming back,” the actor said, ahead of the film’s release in India next week. He further added, “I was fully in the Church of Bob.”
Director James Mangold had only one ask from Chalamet, who plays the main character. “I didn’t want Timmy to disappear. It’s a performance. I wanted Timmy to bring who he is to Bob. If it becomes just a series of mannerisms and vocal impressions, there is no one really there,” Mangold said.
Timothée Chalamet trained hard for five years. He mastered the guitar and harmonica while studying Dylan’s performances and mannerisms in depth with voice coach Eric Vetro. “When learning guitar, there’s a rhythmic thing that has to happen. Bob is an orchestra of one. I would show a song to Timmy and explain, ‘Don’t get nervous if this takes you a minute. This is difficult.’ But somehow, within 90 seconds, the guy was doing it,” explained his guitar coach, Larry Saltzman.
Not just Chalamet, the film’s entire cast ensured they maintain the authencity of the artists they were playing. So much so, that Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez, personally connected with the real Baez before shooting. “I sort of realised in talking to her that I could never be her, that there was no amount of studying or perfecting that I could do to become her. She’s a unicorn,” Barbaro said.
Edward Norton, who plays singer-songwriter Pete Seeger, took his transformation to another level. He had a cosmetic dentist modify his teeth to match Seeger’s, ensuring they physically resemble each other as much as possible. Boyd Holbrook, who plays Johnny Cash, also underwent a full transformation including dyeing his hair, wearing dark contacts, and prosthetics to match Cash’s signature look.
Also, the music sequences in the film are as real as they can get. The production recreated the iconic 1965 Newport Folk Festival with a live performance. There was no playback involved. “We shot the entire show, our 22-minute segment, from beginning to end,” said production designer François Audouy.
The cast didn’t want to rely on pre-recorded music, and instead, opted to perform live on the film’s set. In fact, it was Chalamet who insisted he put his years of training to test by performing live. Production mixer Tod Maitland recalled, “Timmy comes out and he says, ‘I’m going live’,” further adding, “And then there was a big discussion and Timmy said, ‘Look, I’ve worked five years for this part. I’ve been working on my guitar. I’ve been working on everything. I am not going to use playback’.”
A Complete Unknown will release in India on February 28.
