By Carol Badaracco Padgett
This Holiday 2024 all ears and eyes are on Bob Dylan, again. Not necessarily as the octogenarian he is today, but as the young songwriter and musician he was in the 1960s as brought to life by actor Timothée Chalamet in film “A Complete Unknown.”
Following are excerpts of a conversation between Chalamet and interviewer Karl Rouse, associate dean of the School of Film and Acting at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) at a special Searchlight Pictures’ screening at SCADshow in Midtown Atlanta, just before the film’s December 25 theatrical premiere. Rouse, newly relocated from SCAD in Savannah, Georgia, brought along a candid curiosity that helped pull out the best of Chalamet on Dylan.
Rouse: How did you prepare for the role? What was the prep time like?
Chalamet: I got approached in 2018, and when the pandemic hit I was deep into his music. And there’s so much Bob Dylan lore [to digest], some 20 books written, even one called “Oh No! Not Another Bob Dylan Book” [by John Bauldie and Patrick Humphries]. And the documentaries, like “Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back” [1967, director: D.A. Pennebaker, 1965 England concert tour] captures a moment when he hasn’t turned his back yet on the pressure.
His music is the music of life … I really loved the music and I had years to sink into the role … [because]you can’t really play a genius.
For a songwriter to be at a point like that in their career … I had an opportunity to channel that moment with Bob Dylan.
Rouse: You once said some of Dylan’s experiences mirrored your own.
Chalamet: There were strange coincidences. [As a New York native] I had a hard time getting my career going from New York. Dylan did it from [Duluth] Minnesota. [In preparing for the role I took] the coolest artistic journey of Dylan. I went to Minnesota and retraced his first car trip from Minnesota to New York.
Rouse: How did Dylan’s words inform your performance?
Chalamet: I was nervous about this movie – the lyricism. This movie is about a guy who was quite successful from the jump. Dylan’s words are electric … an artist whose scope is massive. As an actor, we get the benefit of sliding into a lot of different roles.
I fell in love with this music, and to do this stuff live on-set was the most fun.
Rouse: What advice do you have for the actors in this room?
Chalamet: Just, it’s never fascinating to watch somebody do it the way it’s been done. Equally, don’t just throw [something]at the wall because it’s interesting. But you have to figure out your superpowers and just be relentless.
I was lucky to have teachers impart that on me. People will make [you]think they’re enabling [your]superpower, but you do.
You know what’s best for you.
