“I feel like my connection… became fragile”: Even Dune: Part 2 Doesn’t Compare to Timothée Chalamet’s 1 Role He Considers Most Challenging

In Hollywood, some roles push actors to the extreme due to the nature of their character or sometimes challenging shooting environments. Largely known for his intense performances, Timothée Chalamet has also had his fair share of tough projects.

Currently, Chalamet is at the forefront of the blockbuster sci-fi sequel, Dune: Part Two, where he reprised his role of Paul Atreides. However, Chalamet’s most challenging film might not be Dune, but his one recent project that required a different level of approach and dedication.

Timothée Chalamet’s Struggle Through the Dune Universe

The adaptation of Frank Herbert’s masterpiece by Denis Villeneuve has been regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of recent times. Timothée Chalamet, who portrayed the young Paul Atreides in the Dune franchise, had the big burden of a character who is the prophesied leader of Arrakis.

In an earlier interview with Deadline, Chalamet described his experience as “nerve-wracking” when he first got to know about his role in Dune. He reasoned the expectations from “the fans of the book, and the fans of David Lynch version, the computer game” for his stress.

Filming Dune: Part Two was also far from easy. It was filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan, and in the Liwa Oasis in Abu Dhabi, where temperatures were over 110 degrees. Austin Butler, who portrayed the antagonist Feyd-Rautha revealed in an interview with Variety that people were “passing out from heat stroke.”

For Chalamet, his most challenging sequence was his sandworm riding scenes in the hot desert. In an interview with Screen Rant, the actor revealed that it required “three months to for what’s ultimately a three-minute sequence.” The sequence involved practical effects to show the violent shaking, which increased the difficulty.

Although Dune‘s conditions were physically demanding, Chalamet’s recent role as Bob Dylan in the upcoming movie A Complete Unknown seemed more complex artistically. In a recent Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, when Chalamet was asked about his “biggest challenges”, he admitted it to be Dylan’s role, saying “this was the biggest.”

The actor explained how his commitment to the role came with its own unique challenges.

This is the first shoot I really turned my phone off the entire time. You know I was watching this Ed Bradley interview with Bob Dylan the other day, the 60 Minutes one.. kind of this famous 2004 interview with Bob.. and it says his connection to a sense of destiny was fragile. I like that he used that word fragile, because I always felt my connection to Bob was fragile. I felt like I came into his music at a time where pop culturally not a lot of people around me were coming to Bob Dylan, so I felt very connected to it.

In A Complete Unknown, Chalamet had to understand the layers of Dylan’s personality and emotions. He learned Dylan’s way of speaking to his stage presence and, most importantly, tapped into his philosophy.

How Chalamet Prepared for A Complete Unknown

While Dune: Part Two challenged Chalamet physically, his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown was a completely different ball game. Chalamet’s learning process began during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which he used to study Dylan’s music, style, and personality.

In his conversation with Zane Lowe, the actor revealed that he learned to play over 30 of Dylan’s songs on guitar. He took lessons in dialect and harmonica along with Dylan’s mannerisms under the guidance of director James Mangold. Chalamet further said in the interview,

For my own spirit-gathering, for lack of a better metaphor, I retraced Bob’s steps through Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin. And I started in Hibbing, in Duluth. And I spent about a week where he is from in Minnesota.

Chalamet goes on to reveal how Dylan’s team offered feedback, including pointing out that even Dylan’s biggest supporters are not so forgiving. He revealed that someone from Dylan’s circle once told him, “Don’t worry about the Bob Dylan fans not liking this, Bob Dylan fans don’t like what Bob Dylan does.” 

To be ready for Dylan, Chalamet had to find a personal connection to the role. Where Dune was physically exhausting for Chalamet, A Complete Unknown was an emotional and artistic challenge he hadn’t experienced before.

The Dune franchise is available to stream on Prime Video.

A Complete Unknown will be released in theaters on December 25, 2024.