First came the pandemic, then the Hollywood actors' strike, notes the American actor.
At one point, it felt like it would never happen. It was postponed twice, maybe it was the universe's way of saying it shouldn't be made. It feels like an incredible relief that the audience can finally see it.
In a way, it was good that the filming was postponed. Director James Mangold tells TT that it made Bob Dylan engaged in the project.
The pandemic forced Dylan to cancel a US tour. Then he called his manager and said "let me read that script that you're all so nervous about".
Locked-down Los Angeles
Dylan and Mangold met at an empty café in a locked-down Los Angeles.
After some small talk, he said "so, what's this film going to be about?". And it was interesting, that someone who's going to be the subject of a film asks what it's going to be about, says James Mangold, who emphasizes that he had full understanding for Dylan's question.
He's an artist and knows that you could make countless films about him and they would all look different. So what he wanted to know was "what do you want, what are you after, what's your agenda?". And I realized that this was something I had overlooked earlier.
In just a few years, Timothée Chalamet has become one of the hottest young actors in the US, constantly pursued by his fans. Bob Dylan also became famous at a young age and the fame made him withdraw and avoid attention. Chalamet seems to be different, last year he even visited a "Chalamet lookalike" contest in New York.
No definitive portrait
The actor is, however, careful to point out that the film does not claim to be the definitive portrait of Bob Dylan during the years 1961-1965.
It's an interpretation of a man who's alive and well. I've studied everything available to see and listen to from those years, but what we've done is still a kind of saga.
When asked if he feels like he's learned something from playing Dylan, Chalamet says:
Yes and no. It was different times back then. In a way, there was more space back then, at the same time it was limiting. What inspires is to be true to your art and to do what you feel is right.
Age: 29 years.
Lives: In New York.
Occupation: Actor.
Previous roles in selection: "Call me by your name", "Lady Bird", "Beautiful boy", "A rainy day in New York", "Little Women", "Dune", "Dune 2", "Bones and all", "Wonka".
Currently in: "A complete unknown" which gets its Swedish cinema premiere on February 21.
