Boyd Holbrook will go down into a burning ring of fire later this month as he portrays Johnny Cash in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown.” At the Gotham Awards in New York City on Monday, December 2, the star teased the preparation that went into playing one of the most beloved musicians of all time.
“I think hollowing my own body out to have that resonance that Johnny has was the biggest part,” Holbrook told IndieWire. “I didn’t play guitar and sing in the beginning of this. It was a crash course into learning how to do that as quickly as possible; that’s the greatest thing about what I had to do. I had to immerse myself into something for three to four hours a day, for months and months at a time, and get it down so much that it became like existence, and you’re not really acting.”
First reactions to the film praised lead Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan with the actor expected to receive his second Best Actor Oscar nomination.
“I think Timmy disappears in this role,” Holbrook said of his performance. “He’s had so much preparation. He’s a fantastic musician. He’s a great performer. I think this is some of the best work I’ve seen on set where you just kind of let him exist and let the creature be. He told me on set, ‘When this is over, it’s over, so let’s just be it for now.’ I find that to be really special and there are not many artists like that around.”
The cast also includes Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie.
“A Complete Unknown” premieres December 25 in theaters from Searchlight. Check out the trailer here.
