Bob Dylan Finally Reacts to Timothée Chalamet Playing Him in His Biopic

Bob Dylan has finally shared how he feels about Timothée Chalamet playing him in the upcoming A Complete Unknown, the James Mangold-directed biopic that covers Dylan's storied transition from Minnesota farm boy to 1960s New York folk hero.

And while Dylan seems excited about the film and Calamet's portrayal of him, the musician still urged viewers to dig a bit deeper, suggesting that those who see the movie should then read the book the film is based on —Elijah Wald's 2015 tome, Dylan Goes Electric!

Dylan's suggestion arrived in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (Dec. 4), the latest update from the rock icon who has recently taken to communicating with fans via the social media site— quite the change from Dylan's usual enigmatic ways.

"There's a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!)," Dylan writes in the post. "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."

The musician continues, "The film's taken from Elijah Wald's Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came out in 2015. 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 title A Complete Unknown comes from a lyric in one of Dylan's best-known songs, 1965's "Like a Rolling Stone," included on one of his most culturally impactful albums, Highway 61 Revisited. In its refrain, a 24-year-old Dylan memorably belts, "How does it feel? / To be without a home / Like a complete unknown / Like a rolling stone."

Wald's book investigates when Dylan "went electric" in 1965, a major turning point in his career and in the history of rock music. The shift to electric music was controversial, particularly among his folk music fans. The pivotal moment occurred during his performance at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965.

Dylan took the stage with a full electric band — then known as the "The Hawks," which would later become The Band — and played a set that shocked the audience. Many fans in the crowd booed him, voicing their displeasure with his departure from the acoustic folk sound they had come to associate with him.

A synopsis for A Complete Unknown reads, "In the early 1960s, 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. Forming his most intimate relationships during his rise to fame, he grows restless with the folk movement, making a controversial choice that reverberates worldwide." Watch the trailer below, and catch the movie in theaters on Dec. 25.

Tags

Timothée Chalamet, Bob Dylan