“I was annoyed that he put…”: Even His Brilliant Performance in Dune 2 Won’t Shield Timothée Chalamet From Honest Reviews of His One Talent in ‘A Complete Unknown’
- Timothée Chalamet will also be singing as Bob Dylan in the biopic ‘A Complete Unknown'.
- While some critics are impressed with Chalamet's performance, some also criticize his attention to vocal details.
- Director James Mangold praises Chalamet's performance and appreciates his approach to capturing Dylan's essence.
Timothée Chalamet is coming fresh off his praiseworthy performance in Dune: Part Two. The young actor is now moving to the next level in his acting career and this time, he will be portraying music legend Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown.
The film is directed by James Mangold and it will explore Dylan’s early years, from his arrival in New York in 1961 to his controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It was a period that shaped the icon and Chalamet has got some big shoes to fill.
Dylanologists Analyze Timothée Chalamet’s Performance
Chalamet is not just acting in the new movie, he is singing too. And while his acting chops are quite established by now, his vocal abilities are about to go through some serious critical observation. Bob Dylan fans aka Dylanologists are notorious for their attention to detail, and they are not pulling any punches when it comes to Chalamet’s portrayal of their idol.
A Complete Unknown‘s trailer recently got released, and some were thrilled and some were skeptical. But everyone had something to say about Chalamet’s singing.
In a conversation with Variety, author of Pledging My Time: Conversations With Bob Dylan Band Members, Ray Padgett admitted that the casting choice of Chalamet was a good decision, and he was also impressed by his voice too. But not everyone was so easily impressed.
Music writer and professor teaching a class on Bob Dylan at The New School, Anne Margaret Daniel had a precise criticism of Chalamet’s singing. She said,
I was annoyed that he put a “G” on “darling” He should say, ‘my daaarlin’ young one.’ Bob never put a ‘G’ on anything at that time. The song is not ‘Blowing in the Wind,’ it’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind.’ So, I kind of winced at that.
That’s something next-level attention to detail, but that is what Chalamet is up against. He faces a fanbase that knows every small detail and nuance of Dylan’s voice. Craig Danuloff, host of the Dylan.FM website and podcast, was more forgiving. He praised Chalamet’s authenticity, saying, “The way he sings ‘highways’ sounded really correct, and it was such a subtlety and a nuance.“
Music critic and co-host of the Never Ending Stories podcast Steven Hyden mentioned how different it is to portray Dylan on screen because of his charisma and weirdness.
Bob Dylan is such a weird presence on screen. The way he talks, the way he moves, the way that he is simultaneously awkward and totally charismatic. I’m skeptical that any actor can really nail that.
So, can Timothée Chalamet actually sing? He can, though he can’t be called quite a singer. He sang some tunes in Wonka and A Rainy Day in New York. However, Dylan’s voice is a whole different thing, and it will be interesting to see if the Dune actor can do justice to the character.
James Mangold’s Take on Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan
Director James Mangold is all praise for his leading man. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he acknowledged Chalamet’s performance and called it an “act of acting brilliance.”
Mangold revealed that Chalamet’s approach was not about imitation only. He wanted to feel aligned with Dylan. Mangold said,
You’re trying to find something that feels like him, but also feels like Timmy, meaning that if I were trying to describe the directorial goal, you want your actor to play the part, of course, but you don’t want them to lose what’s special about themselves.
The goal was to find similarities between Chalamet and Dylan to create a performance that would feel authentic rather than forced.
Mangold also accepted the difficulties of mimicking Dylan’s memorable voice in the film. He said, “Timmy also grows that,” meaning Chalamet becomes more and more like Dylan as the story progresses.
Still, it was not always easy, and Mangold remembered moments when Chalamet would say that he lost Dylan a little or when Mangold would have to tell Chalamet to bring back some of his mannerisms. It was certainly a fine line and Chalamet has appeared to go through it pretty well.
The release date of ‘A Complete Unknown’ is yet to be announced.
