Determined to stay in character as Bob Dylan for his upcoming film “A Perfect Stranger,” Timothée Chalamet refused to receive visitors and friends during filming.
Total immersion. Timothée Chalamet stars in James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic, based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald, which explores the controversy surrounding the artist's adoption of electrified instruments in 1965. Edward Norton, who plays folk music pioneer Pete Seeger in the film, told Rolling Stone that the “Wonka” star immersed himself completely in his role, to the point of forgetting the outside world.
“He was relentless. No visitors, no friends, no representatives, nothing. No one is around us while we do this. We're trying to do the best we can with something that is so totemic and sacrosanct to a lot of people. And I totally agreed – it felt like we couldn't have an audience for this. We must believe in it as much as possible. And he was right to be so protective,” the “Fight Club” actor recalled.
Five years of preparation for his role
Monica Barbaro, who plays Bob Dylan's ex Joan Baez, added that Timothée Chalamet stayed “in his own world,” as the musician often did, which was “very conducive to the dynamic between Bob and Joan. The actress notably shared an anecdote, during which the two actors were discussing between two takes, when the director noticed that his co-star was losing his Bob Dylan voice. “And at that point, I think we both said, 'No, no more talking!'” she said.
Talking about his playing method, Timothée Chalamet paid tribute to his former partners like Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac who he said would “protect their process, especially for something that really feels like walking a tightrope.” He explained that he feared losing moments of character discovery due to distractions.
“I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparation to play him. So while I was in it, that was my constant goal. He deserved that and more… God forbid if I missed a step because I was Timmy. I could be Timmy for the rest of my life!”, added the actor.
“A Complete Stranger,” in which Timothée Chalamet sings and plays the guitar himself, released in French theaters on January 29, 2025.
