James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown is getting its German premiere at the Berlin Film Festival tonight and its Oscar nominated star Timothée Chalamet is in town to present the film.
Speaking at the movie’s press conference, Chalamet was asked multiple times by the audience what he took from Bob Dylan’s subtle lyrical activism and his ability to separate his art and public persona from becoming overwhelmed by personal political stances.
Chalamet drew comparisons between Dylan’s subtle political messages and those of Dune writer George Herbert: “Be wary of cult like figures,” would be his takeaway from both men, he said, adding that that is a sensible philosophy.
“I won’t speak for him [Bob Dylan] because he’s alive and well in Malibu, but my interpretation is just be wary of any savior like figures,” Chalamet said.
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He added: “Frank Herbert’s Dune, which was written in the same period of American history, granted, Frank Herbert was on the West Coast, probably doing acid at a typewriter, and Bob Dylan was on the east coast. But the messaging was still similar.”
The movie, which stars Chalamet as Dylan, follows the singer’s rise from Minnesota to West Village balladeer to revolutionary folk singer. As he forms his most intimate relationships during his rise to fame, he grows restless with the folk movement and, refusing to be defined, makes a controversial choice that culturally reverberates worldwide. Mangold co-wrote the script with Jay Cocks.
Throughout this afternoon’s presser Chalamet was quizzed by multiple journalists on his artistic process and how he chooses roles. But the Call Me By Your Name alum resisted what he continually described as “academic” interpretations of his work and told the audience his prep is really quite simple.
“I’m just trying to find a fantastic director to work with,” he said. “I’ve been lucky that all those projects you mentioned, whether it’s Greta Gerwig with Little Women or Denis Villeneuve with Dune or the Luca Guadagnino movies I’ve made, they’ve all been there on the page. These characters are basically different. So I couldn’t say it’s a much more complicated process than that. I wish I could give you a more pretentious answer, but it’s just not the truth.”
Chalamet added that he tries not to get too “scientific” about his work because “creation and analyzation are different processes.” As an actor, one must stay “stay loose and un-self-serious in your work,” he said.
A Complete Unknown also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz and Scoot McNairy. Producers are Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, Peter Jaysen, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen, Chalamet and Mangold.
Searchlight released the film at Christmas domestically and has since passed $100M at the global box office. The eight-time Oscar nominated movie is now Searchlight Pictures’ No. 6 highest grossing title of all-time at the domestic box office with $69.5M behind Sideways ($71.5M) and it’s expected to strum to the Disney classic label’s fifth best ever in the coming weeks.
The post Timothée Chalamet Sees Similarity Between Bob Dylan’s Subtle Lyrical Activism & ‘Dune’s Message: “Be Wary Of Savior Like Figures” — Berlin Film Festival appeared first on Deadline.
