In addition to learning to sing like Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet also underwent a physical transformation for his role in A Complete Unknown.
“I’ve turned over every stone. I did all the work, like you just described, physicality, behavior-wise,” Chalamet, 29, said in an interview with NPR published on January 20. “But something we haven’t really talked about, I also put on 20 pounds because … believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy.”
In addition to bulking up for the role, Chalamet learned to sing and play guitar like Dylan. In the film, Chalamet portrays a younger version of the legendary musician at the start of his career in the 1960s. He explained that the biopic was a “five-year process.” While Chalamet said he didn’t get a chance to meet Dylan, 83, during that time, he did get to see him perform live.
“I saw him live. I’ve seen him live twice. And that was — I don’t want to say helpful enough,” Chalamet told the outlet. “It would have been great to [meet], but it was super educational just to see his energy observed from a distance.”
Timothee Chalamet Reveals He Was Asked to Gain Weight for 2 Roles
Ahead of A Complete Unknown’s premiere in December 2024, Dylan gave Chalamet his stamp of approval.
“There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role,” Dylan wrote via X at the time. “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.”
After seeing Dylan’s praise, Chalamet gushed about how much it meant to him.
“Screaming crying laughing screaming laughing pooping screaming crying,” the actor wrote via his Instagram Story. “THANK YOU BOB!!!! DREAM COME TRUE!!!!”
Dylan wasn’t the only one impressed with Chalamet’s performance.. Following the film’s December 2024 debut, Chalamet was nominated for a Golden Globe (though he ultimately lost to Adrien Brody for his performance in The Brutalist). Chalamet also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Months before Chalamet revealed he had gained weight for the biopic, he opened up about the struggles he faced in Hollywood regarding his body type. Early on in his career, Chalamet was advised to gain weight after he was told he didn’t have the “right body” to take on leading man roles.
Timothée Chalamet Goes Blonde at ‘A Complete Unknown’ Premiere in NYC
“If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up, the feedback was always, ‘Oh, you don’t have the right body,’” he said during a November 20024 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I had an agent that called me and said, ‘You got to put on weight,’ basically — not aggressively, but you know.”
Instead of changing his frame for blockbuster projects, Chalamet opted to go for more artistic roles like Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Little Women and more.
“Those were smaller budget, but very — I don’t know how else to put it — personable movies that started in this theater space,” he shared. “This is where I found my rhythm, my confidence, my flow, whatever you want to call it.”
