After the first trailer for the movie A Complete Unknown debuted on July 24, 2024, fans were treated to the first extended look at Timothée Chalamet’s transformation into musical legend Bob Dylan, including a glimpse at the character’s singing.
The close to 2-minute-long teaser sees Edward Norton’s character Pete Seeger introduce a young Bob Dylan to a small audience, where he proceeds to perform one of his early classics A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.
Highlights
- 'A Complete Unknown' follows Bob Dylan's rise from humble beginnings to fame and his decision to switch to electrically amplified instruments.
- To prepare for the role, Chalamet shifted through a 12-hour playlist of unreleased Dylan songs, recorded between 1959 and 1964.
- The film is directed by James Mangold, who previously handled Johnny Cash's biopic 'Walk the Line.'
The uncanny resemblance between the character portrayed by Chalamet and Dylan’s own singing led many to ask if it was the actor himself who was performing instead of another professional singer.
Does Timothée Chalamet sing in Bob Dylan’s biopic A Complete Unknown?
Image credits: IGN
Yes, Timothée Chalamet sang all of Dylan’s classics in the film, as revealed by the director, James Mangold, in an interview with Collider.
Timothée later reconfirmed this and added that in order to prepare for the role, he shifted consistently through a never-heard-before 12-hour playlist of unreleased songs by the artist, recorded between 1959 and 1964, thanks to the film’s producer, Jeff Rosen.
Image credits: Griffin/GC Images
In order to prepare for A Complete Unknown, the actor began taking guitar lessons, dating all the way back to July 2020, when the film was known as Going Electric. He was spotted carrying an acoustic Gibson guitar to his early rehearsals by his fans.
In October 2023, Chalamet also revealed in an interview with GQ that he had started working with the same team that prepared his Dune: Part Two co-star Austin Butler for his role as Elvis Presley in the eponymous 2022 biopic. His training included dialect coaching to nail Dylan’s accent, movement coaching, and vocal coaching to add authenticity to his mannerisms and singing.
“This might earn the ire and wrath of a lot of Bob fans, rightfully,” Chalamet said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused, recognizing the pressure of delivering a faithful performance for one of the United States’ most beloved singers.
Image credits: Gotham/GC Images
The actor is no stranger to roles that demand musical proficiency, as he has shown he is able to play the piano when he performed a Bach piece for the film Call Me By Your Name in 2017, and perform extensive singing scenes like the ones he did for the remake of the classic Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, titled Wonka in 2023.
A Complete Unknown is set to hit theaters in December 2024, and it was created to showcase a very specific moment in American history, where everything was possible
The biopic, based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, follows the star as he rises from humble beginnings to fame, his struggles, and the controversial decision he eventually made to switch to electrically amplified instruments.
For Mangold, the main appeal of the film is getting to witness a time period when opportunity was everywhere and even a poor boy like 19-year-old Bob Dylan, with just two dollars to his name, could become a worldwide sensation within three years.
Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
“It’s such an amazing time in American culture,” the director said, being interested in showing how the city and folk music scene of New York embraced the young artist. “It’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene.”
The film also stars Boyd Holbrook, Norbert Leo Butz, Scoot McNairy, and Dan Folger. Chalamet also doubles as producer, and Bob Dylan himself is participating as an executive producer.
“Chalamet seems to be knocking hard at Uncle Oscar's door with this one,” said one commenter as others reacted with anticipation for the upcoming film
Image credits: Bob Dylan
Viewers reacted with excitement, with many pointing to Mangold’s resume as a source of reassurance after his handling of Johnny Cash’s biopic Walk the Line, which he wrote and directed back in 2005.
“‘From The Director of Walk The Line.’ Awesome to know that James Mangold who has handled Johnny Cash's story is now given the task to handle Bob Dylan's story,” said one commenter.
Image credits: Bob Dylan
“Crazy to think that James Mangold has made the biopics of both Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan!” added another, pointing to the director’s track record.
Others also praised Chalamet’s performance, noting that he appears to have grasped Bob Dylan’s mannerisms perfectly.
“The way he blinks while singing is so Bob, I'm thrilled,” said one fan.
“Judging by the facial expressions while singing I can tell Timothée has put on the work,” shared another. “That, along with the cinematography and a trailer that is not too flashy makes me think we're in for a treat!”
Image credits: tchalamet
“As a huge Dylan fan this seems bang on. From the mannerisms playing live, the nervous energy, to the voice which is so hard to pull off. I was afraid of this, but now I'm absolutely buzzing,” confessed a viewer in anticipation.
“I did not expect to get this excited about a Bob Dylan biopic. Chalamet looks and sounds fantastic,” said another one, emphasizing the accuracy of the actor’s singing.
A Complete Unknown does not have an official release date yet, but it’s expected to hit cinemas in December 2024.