Timothée Chalamet is getting ready to unleash his inner Bob Dylan on the world in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown, hitting theaters this Christmas. But before you think Timothée was just hanging out in a tie-dye shirt and calling it “research,” think again. He’s been obsessively preparing for this role for five years—yes, five years—like someone trying to finally beat the final boss in their favorite video game.
In a Rolling Stone interview, Timmy (because we’re on a first-name basis, obviously) shared just how much brainpower he invested into becoming the musical legend. Spoiler alert: it was a lot. And yes, he took it all extremely seriously.
On His Five-Year Bob Dylan Obsession:
Timothée’s focus? It was, in his words, eternal. “I had to push the preparation to the limits, almost like I needed to break my own brain just to make sure I could really be Bob Dylan.” Translation: if he had an extra brain, he probably would’ve used it to study even more Dylan, but instead, he decided to lock in every waking moment for five years. And yes, that’s like a college degree, but without the textbooks and with way more guitar.
On Staying Focused While Filming (He’s Basically a Bob Dylan Zombie Now):
Imagine this: You’re Timothée Chalamet, playing a musical icon, and you have three months to embody Bob Dylan after obsessing over him for five years. Are you living in bliss, or are you literally panicking at the thought of missing a single “Dylan moment?” If you said “panicking,” you’d be correct.
Timmy confessed that while filming, he was constantly battling his phone distractions because heaven forbid he miss the perfect “Dylan” nuance while scrolling through Instagram. “God forbid I missed a step because I was being Timmy,” he said. “I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!” Don’t worry, Timmy, we’re all rooting for you to be Timmy forever. But, you know, Bob Dylan Timmy right now is kinda iconic.
On Playing Guitar and Singing Live (Because Pre-recorded is for Amateurs):
If you thought Timothée was just going to lip-sync to some old Bob Dylan tracks, think again. This man sang live while playing guitar. Not just any guitar, but the actual guitar Dylan played, because you can’t “fake it ‘til you make it” in the world of musical legends. Timmy knew that if he tried to do it the easy way (with pre-recorded vocals), you’d be able to hear his arms move all wrong. And we can’t have that—he needed to channel his inner Bob and his outer Bob (aka his arm movements). #Commitment
On His Career Being a Little Like Bob Dylan’s (Yes, Really):
As if Timothée wasn’t already on a quest to become the most emotionally invested actor of all time, he also discovered some deep parallels between his career and Dylan’s. “If Bob couldn’t become Elvis or Buddy Holly right away, he found Woody Guthrie,” Timmy said. “I couldn’t get into one door, so I found a cooler door marked ‘indie roles’ that ended up exploding.” Let that sink in: Timothée essentially compares his career to the journey of Bob Dylan, because of course he does.
On His “Unconventional” Childhood:
We all know Timothée grew up in some pretty wild, artsy housing in Manhattan Plaza, a place that sounds like the setting for a weird indie film—oh wait, it was. Growing up in an artsy space where people could paint their childhood memories however they wanted, Timmy decided to let his talent speak for itself. “You don’t need a Big Bang. Your talent is your talent.” Well, Timmy, we agree. Your talent is pretty legendary.
Five years of obsession, frantic focus, and live guitar playing have led us to A Complete Unknown, and we can’t wait to see what this eternally focused, panic-stricken, guitar-slinging Timothée delivers next.
