How do you even begin to prepare to play Bob Dylan? The folk musician who changed the entire scene is at the heart of James Mangold’s new film, A Complete Unknown – and for star Timothée Chalamet, the challenge was to find a way to make the real Dylan… well, known. First came a three-and-a-half year period of learning to play guitar, getting to grips with Dylan’s songs and unique vocal style. And from there, it was all about letting go and reaching for something real beyond just a surface impression.
“Bob has a very specific, soulful voice, but what most defines it is his negotiation with his own words and the way he tells the story,” Mangold tells Empire, digging into his and Chalamet’s approach to the icon. “That essence is what Timmy and I were after more than a specific mannerism or tic, per se.” The desired effect is to really feel Chalamet’s characterisation through the songs, beyond just copying exactly what Dylan might have done. “The actor has to somehow internalise all those external behaviours and own them in some way that allows them to speak through the character,” explains Mangold. “As they’re performing, they can follow their own impulses in character and not just be doing a perfect recreation of what we’ve seen in documentary films.”
Mangold has plenty of experience on this front, having helmed beloved Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line. And with A Complete Unknown, he wants to bring the audience right into the heart of the action as the New York folk scene explodes and evolves. He decided that “the camera should live on the shoulder with the actors on stage,” he says. “You’re living with what it feels like to be them, as opposed to just recreating the concert as if you had a great seat. You’re experiencing the performance, but also the struggles underneath it. Those tensions are what my camera is trying to seek out.” Even for Dylan die-hards, expect a delve into the (complete) unknown.
Read Empire’s full A Complete Unknown story – speaking to James Mangold about capturing a music legend on screen – in the Mickey 17 issue, on sale Thursday 24 October. Order a copy online here. A Complete Unknown comes to UK cinemas on 17 January.