Timothée Chalamet showing up to the ‘A Complete Unknown’ NYC premiere dressed as Bob Dylan is everything
Friday was the New York City premiere of the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, in which Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan himself. Praise has been fairly unanimous across the board over Chalamet’s portrayal of the talented, but often difficult, singer. His dedication to nailing that role has been discussed at length—in November, Rolling Stone ran an article where he discussed his journey to becoming Dylan:
“It was something I would go to sleep panicked about, losing a moment of discovery as the character—no matter how pretentious that sounds—because I was on my phone or because of any distraction. I had three months of my life to play Bob Dylan, after five years of preparing to play him. So while I was in it, that was my eternal focus.”
Normally, method acting can be too much, or seen as pretentious. But in Chalamet’s case, it clearly worked, and he seemingly found the right balance. Since he has a track record of solid performances, it comes as no surprise that he would choose the NYC premiere to channel his inner Dylan once more, given that the city is the backdrop to Dylan’s life and the film. As stars began arriving on the carpet, the internet quickly pointed out Chalamet’s sudden change of appearance, with one X user posting a side-by-side of Chalamet and Dylan, both with blond hair, a scarf, and a thick gray beanie.
It is a homage to Dylan at the 2003 premiere of Masked and Anonymous. It’s truly an iconic look, very scene kid-in-their-fifties. Chalamet, of course, nails it. I respect his dedication to his craft—even when doing something like this, he ensures the look is as close to the original as possible. It’s something that always has, to me, seemed like it’s his idea, not an agent’s or a publicist’s. He doesn’t have to take it seriously, but he does. No wonder Dylan has praised him.
Coupled with his recent surprise appearance at his NYC lookalike contest, Chalamet continues to surprise and delight us. He loves what he does and has fun doing it while also remaining completely serious about it. That balance is not an easy one to tread. There’s even a video of him at the premiere turning away every time he wants to laugh so that nobody can see him break character.
Ah, Timothée Chalamet, the man that you are. Plus, he got Pop Crave’s stamp of approval!
I know that’s right.
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