Timothée Chalamet debuts Bob Dylan vocals in trailer for A Complete Unknown
The Oscar-nominated actor reportedly collaborated with Austin Butler’s entire Elvis team to transform into the beatnik bard for the upcoming biopic directed by James Mangold | WATCH
Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet transforms into Bob Dylan in the first trailer for the eagerly awaited biopic A Complete Unknown.
Directed by James Mangold, known for the Oscar-winning Johnny Cash documentary Walk the Line, the film traces Dylan’s arrival in New York in 1961, his rise to stardom, and concludes shortly after his controversial shift from acoustic to electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
Chalamet stars as Dylan, with Elle Fanning portraying his girlfriend Sylvie Rosso — an altered version of Dylan’s real-life girlfriend, Suze Rotolo. Monica Barbaro plays singer Joan Baez, and Edward Norton appears as folk legend Pete Seeger.
Director Mangold told Rolling Stone that the film is a “strong ensemble piece”, likening it to the 1984 Mozart biopic Amadeus in its exploration of the artist’s life and relationships. The real-life Dylan, who is 83, gave notes on the script.
The new trailer reveals little about the plot but showcases Chalamet’s rendition of A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, giving audiences a taste of his take on Dylan’s singing voice.
“A few weeks back, my friend Woody Guthrie and I, we met a young man; he dropped in on us out of nowhere and he played us a song,” Seeger says as he introduces Dylan to the stage. “In that moment, we got a feeling we were getting a glimpse of the future.”
Chalamet reportedly enlisted his Dune: Part Two co-star Austin Butler’s “entire Elvis team” to assist in his transformation into Dylan. “I just saw the way [Butler] committed to it all – and realised I needed to step it up,” Chalamet told GQ.
His vocal coach, Eric Vetro, who also worked with him on the musical Wonka, described Chalamet’s performance as capturing the “essence” of Dylan, rather than merely impersonating him.
Dylan has previously been portrayed by Australian stars Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger, among others, in Todd Haynes’s experimental 2007 film I’m Not There.
A Complete Unknown is set for release in December.
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