Timothee Chalamet channels Bob Dylan at premiere of A Complete Unknown
The US actor stars as the influential folk singer in the Oscar-tipped film.
Timothee Chalamet donned rock star chic as he arrived at the premiere of his Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.
The US actor stars as influential folk singer Dylan in the Oscar-tipped film, which follows his early days as a musician in New York City, culminating in his famed performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
Chalamet bore a striking resemblance to the musician as he posed in a classic black leather jacket – adorned with pins depicting a young Dylan – at the red carpet premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
One of the pins read Get Born, a lyric from Subterranean Homesick Blues – the opening song on Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home.
The 28-year-old paired the ensemble with a grey untucked shirt and a black Cuban heel, synonymous with Dylan’s style in the 1960s, alongside a moustache.
Dylan appeared confident that Chalamet will be “completely believable” in the biopic.
He wrote on X: “Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me.”
Dylan said the film has been adapted from a 2015 book by Elijah Wald titled Dylan Goes Electric!
“It’s a fantastic retelling of events from the early ’60s that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie, read the book,” the 83-year-old added.
The James Mangold-directed film also stars US actress Elle Fanning as love interest Sylvie Russo.
The 26-year-old channeled a ’60s voluminous hair-do paired with a backless cream satin gown on the red carpet.
The premiere comes days after Chalamet received the Gotham visionary award alongside A Complete Unknown filmmaker Mangold for the film, which began life in 2019.
During his speech, Chalamet said immersing himself in the world of Dylan “has been the greatest education a young artist can receive”.
“If you’re already a fan of Bob Dylan, this film will make perfect sense to you. If you’re not familiar with his work, perhaps our film can serve as a humble gateway to one of the great poets and chroniclers of our time,” he said.
Chalamet previously said he found parallels with Dylan’s journey to stardom, finding his confidence in smaller budget films, including his Oscar-nominated turn in Call Me By Your Name, while Dylan found his stride in folk music.
The actor received a Golden Globe nod for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role, while the film has been tipped for best picture.
