Timothée Chalamet reveals the change Bob Dylan requested to ‘A Complete Unknown’ script
Ever since it was announced back in 2020, James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown has been the topic of heated discussion. Aside from the inevitable griping about casting Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, the main question has been regarding the degree of which the elusive musician himself would be involved.
Known for his secretive persona and tendency to blend fact and fiction when recounting his biography, Dylan does not seem like he would be the most enthusiastic or reliable collaborators for the project. However, he has played a hand in A Complete Unknown.
In a recent interview, Chalamet shed some light on the question, revealing that Dylan did have input on the film and even requested one major script change. Speaking on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, the actor clarified the identity of the character Sylvie Russo, played by Elle Fanning.
“Her real name is Suze Rotolo in real life,” he said, “But the real Bob Dylan was still very protective over her. She was never really famous, so that was one of his big script notes, he said, ‘Change that name.’ And, you know, I think he felt protective over her legacy in some way.”
It’s a big change considering the fact that the film focuses on Dylan’s complicated relationships with Rotolo and Joan Baez, played by Monica Barbaro, in the early 1960s. Unlike Rotolo, Baez is given her real name in the movie. It’s also a strange request on Dylan’s part given that his fans would easily deduce who the Russo character was meant to be.
As Chalamet’s revelation hints at, the film focuses on the love triangle between Dylan, “Russo,” and Baez in the lead-up to his 1965 concert at the Newport Folk Festival. The musician’s treatment of the women in his life has been controversial over the years, but Chalamet was quick to defend him.
“It’s definitely complicated,” he acknowledged during the podcast, “But my answer is he was always focused on his art first and foremost. Also, this movie is about people in their early 20s. You don’t really have life figured out, especially in relationships then. Stuff is a mess at that age.”
He went on to praise Fanning’s performance for offering a window into the film for the audience and portraying the more “grounded” role of Russo.
A Complete Unknown has already earned three Golden Globe nominations for ‘Best Picture,’ ‘Best Actor’ for Chalamet, and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in the film. The movie is released on December 25th in the United States, and January 17th, 2025, in the United Kingdom.
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