Timothée Chalamet really went the extra mile to prepare for his role as Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown, and he's opening up all about it in a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe.
For months, fans have been getting glimpses of Chalamet as the iconic American singer-songwriter as filming took place in New Jersey and New York. The movie, which stars Chalamet in the titular role alongside Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a character based on Dylan's former girlfriend Suze Rotolo, will premiere on December 25, 2024, and has been years in the making.
The project was first announced in early 2020, with James Mangold as the writer and director and Chalamet as Dylan, and, as it turns out, the actor was preparing for the role even before then. In an exclusive preview that Teen Vogue can premiere from Timothée Chalame's Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, which you can watch below, the actor opened up about his process for becoming Bob Dylan, which included learning to play 30 songs.
Chalamet revealed that since pre-production for A Complete Unknown began during the COVID-19 lockdowns, he couldn't delay the process until filming could resume, so he got a headstart by learning how to play Bob Dylan's repertoire. “For the movie, I had to learn 13 [songs], let's say, or something, but in total, I could probably play 30,” Chalamet revealed.
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Chalamet also shared that he worked with dialect coach Tim Monich “for years” on the project after landing the role. He also worked with a harmonica coach, learning to play the instrument for five years, as well as a movement coach called Polly Bennett. “Actually, we got more out of just working on the script together than anything physicality-related,” he said.
As if that was not enough, Chalamet also set out on a little journey — quite literally — to step into Bob Dylan's shoes. “For my own spirit-gathering, for lack of a better metaphor, I retraced Bob's steps through Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin. And I started in Hibbing, in Duluth. And I spent about a week where he is from in Minnesota,” he shared.
After years of preparation, filming for A Complete Unknown finally began in the spring of 2024, following some delays caused by the writers' and actors' strikes. Production wrapped before the summer. The official trailer for the movie, which you can watch below, was released in October 2024.
Tune in and listen to the full Timothée Chalamet x Zane Lowe interview live for free on Monday, November 11, at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on Apple Music 1 or anytime on-demand with an Apple Music subscription.
