Timothée Chalamet Was ‘Relentless’ in Trying to Stay Immersed as Bob Dylan, Says Edward Norton: ‘No Visitors, No Friends, No Reps. Nobody Comes Around Us While We’re Doing This’

As a seasoned cinephile who has witnessed the evolution of acting techniques over the years, I find Timothée Chalamet‘s immersive approach to playing Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” nothing short of captivating. His dedication to staying in character, even off-set, is a testament to his passion for his craft and respect for the icon he was portraying.

In an interview with Rolling Stone for its Timothée Chalamet cover story, Elle Fanning revealed that before filming “A Complete Unknown,” she was told by the production that Chalamet would be quite reserved on set while portraying Bob Dylan. To fully embody the music legend, Chalamet made a conscious effort to stay in character, and as a result, the call sheet referred to him as “Bob Dylan” rather than his real name. Fanning admitted that she was fooled during pre-production when she was invited to meet with director James Mangold under the assumption that he was Bob Dylan himself.

Fanning shared that she had been pondering what to say and ask when potentially encountering the genuine Dylan. She also mentioned that she was carefully selecting her attire, feeling excited about the thought of meeting Bob Dylan.

Later, Fanning found out that the “Bob Dylan” she was scheduled to meet was actually Timothée Chalamet in character as Bob Dylan. She jokingly remarked: “I guess I’m the first person ever to be disappointed by a rehearsal with Timothée Chalamet, huh? I mean, the first girl in history to say that!

Monica Barbaro portrays Joan Baez in “A Complete Unknown,” and she shared with Rolling Stone that their initial encounter occurred while Timothée Chalamet had already taken on the role of Bob Dylan.

Barbaro commented on Chalamet’s Method acting, saying it wasn’t overly intense or restrictive like some might expect. Instead of avoiding eye contact or following specific rules, they greeted each other casually. However, Chalamet did seem to be immersed in his character on set, which was similar to how Bob often acted as well. This approach actually helped create a realistic dynamic between Bob and Joan’s characters.

Barbaro recollected a particular day when they had casual conversations with Chalamet amid breaks in filming, but then Mangold pointed out that Chalamet’s Dylan character’s voice was faltering. At that moment, both of them seemed to agree, “No more talking!” she reminisced.

In the movie, Edward Norton plays Pete Seeger and praises Timothée Chalamet for his tenacity in maintaining an authentic portrayal of Bob Dylan. According to Norton, Chalamet ensured minimal distractions so he could fully embody Dylan’s character, stating: “No visitors, no friends, no representatives – nothing was allowed. ‘No one is permitted around us while we’re working.’ We wanted to do justice to something that holds significant importance for many people. I completely concurred with his sentiment – it was as if we needed to believe in this role as much as possible. And Chalamet was correct to be so protective.

Timothée Chalamet didn’t delve deeply into his Method acting techniques during his Rolling Stone interview, but he did acknowledge that maintaining character immersion was partly a way to reconnect with his acting origins and to a time when people weren’t scrutinizing his work methods because they didn’t know him yet. This was reminiscent of his experience on ‘Call Me by Your Name.’

What kept me awake at night was the fear of missing out on a precious moment as the character, due to distractions like my phone or other things – though it might sound pretentious to say so,” Chalamet explained. “I had three whole months to portray Bob Dylan, after five years of preparation. So while I was in that role, I made sure to keep my full attention on him. He deserved that and even more. I didn’t want to trip up because I was being careless – I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!

Dive into Timothée Chalamet’s comprehensive interview on Rolling Stone’s platform, and mark your calendars for a December 25 cinema visit to catch “A Complete Unknown,” distributed by Searchlight Pictures.

2024-11-18 18:50

Timothée Chalamet Was ‘Relentless’ in Trying to Stay Immersed as Bob Dylan, Says Edward Norton: ‘No Visitors, No Friends, No Reps. Nobody Comes Around Us While We’re Doing This’

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