After spending five years preparing to play Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet is ready for the world to see him in A Complete Unknown. While Chalamet will undoubtedly campaign for awards, only one opinion matters, and that comes from Dylan himself.
On X, Dylan acknowledged Chalamet as a “brilliant actor.” Despite not seeing the film yet, Dylan believes Chalamet will do a fine job portraying him in the 1960s-set film. Dylan encouraged his 469,000 followers to read Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties, Elijah Wald’s 2015 book that served as the inspiration for the movie.
“There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor, so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me,” Dylan wrote. “The film’s taken from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came out in 2015. It’s a fantastic retelling of events from the early ’60s that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie, read the book.”
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There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me. The film’s taken from Elijah…
— Bob Dylan (@bobdylan) December 4, 2024
In A Complete Unknown, Chalamet plays a younger version of Dylan when the singer first came to New York City in the 1960s. After becoming a folk rock hero, Dylan shocked the world when he switched to electric instruments for his groundbreaking performance at 1965’s Newport Folk Festival.
Besides Chalamet, A Complete Unknown stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie.
Written and directed by James Mangold, A Complete Unknown opens in theaters on December 25, 2024.
