Being Bob Dylan is no easy task. For Timothée Chalamet, turning into the enigmatic genius on the set of James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” required a strong discipline that meant separating himself from the present day and immersing himself completely in the 1960s world they were creating. That meant no cell phones, no friends or family showing up to snap pics with Edward Norton, and a dedication to Dylan’s persona that pushed other cast to further embrace the figures they were playing. In an interview with Rolling Stone, recently republished in their U.K. magazine, Chalamet gave credit to older co-stars he’d watched as his career developed and the tone they set for others.
“The great actors I’ve worked with, Christian Bale on ‘Hostiles’ or Oscar Isaac on ‘Dune,’ were able to do that,” he said, “and guard their process, particularly for something that’s really like a tightrope walk.”
Chalamet understands the importance of keeping things close-to-the-chest, especially at this point in his career, where fame seems to be chasing him around every corner with lookalike contests and fervent questioning in regards to his relationship with Kylie Jenner. This was a huge reason why he felt the need to keep himself separated as he worked on “A Complete Unknown” and to make it feel like “when people aren’t curious about how you go about your work, because they don’t known who you are yet. Which is how the experience was for me on ‘Call Me by Your Name.’”
Stepping into the role of folk music bulwark Pete Seeger, Norton only had two months to prepare after stepping in for Benedict Cumberbatch who had to drop out. Despite the minimal time, once he started working with Chalamet, he also absorbed the energy put out by him and felt it help achieve the overall vibe the film was working to create.
“He was relentless. No visitors, no friends, no reps, no nothing. ‘Nobody comes around us while we’re doing this.’ We’re trying to do the best we can with something that’s so totemic and sacrosanct to many people,” said Norton. “And I agreed totally — it was like, ‘We cannot have a fucking audience for this. We’ve got to believe to the greatest degree we can.’ And he was right to be that protective.”
It wasn’t so serious that Chalamet was going Method and having everyone call him ‘Bob,’ but for the duration of filming, he did feel it was vital to give his complete focus to the role.
“It was something I would go to sleep panicked about, losing a moment of discovery as the character — no matter how pretentious that sounds — because I was on my phone or because of any distraction,” Chalamet said to Rolling Stone U.K. “I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparing to play him. So while I was in it, that was my eternal focus. He deserved that and then more. God forbid I missed a step because I was being Timmy. I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!”
He added later, “With attention or whatever, it’s like you gotta be extra careful. And also not take yourself so fucking seriously. Just enjoy life.”
Lessons well learned it seems, as Chalamet is currently on track for his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and potential first win.
Searchlight Pictures releases “A Complete Unknown” in theaters on December 25.
