Timothée Chalamet Really Went Method for ‘A Complete Unknown’

With the Oscars drawing near, it seems we're learning more and more about how Timothée Chalamet prepared to play Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. The latest bit of information about his method acting is something many people of his generation would find very challenging.

In a new interview on 60 Minutes, it was revealed that during the two-and-a-half months of filming A Complete Unknown, Chalamet didn't use his cell phone and didn't have any visitors on the set of the film.

Chalamet said, "I never approached a character so intensely as Bob, 'cause I had such respect for the material, and I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I remembered that I was lazy on a day where something went wrong."

Chalamet seemingly pulled out all of the stops to play Dylan. In a November 2024 interview with Zane Lowe, the actor shared he worked with a dialect coach and a movement coach for A Complete Unknown. He said he also worked with a harmonica coach for five years and even spent time in Dylan's hometown of Hibbing, Minn.

Chalamet also revealed in a January interview on NPR's All Things Considered, "I did all the work, like you just described, physicality, behavior-wise. 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."

Clearly, all of the effort paid off. A Complete Unknown received eight Oscar nominations in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.

Chalamet received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Dylan. This is Chalamet's second Academy Award nomination. His first nomination was in 2018 for Best Actor for his performance in Call Me by Your Name.

Edward Norton received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of folk icon Pete Seeger. This is Norton's fourth Academy Award nomination. His previous nominations came in 1997 for Best Supporting Actor in Primal Fear, 1999 for Best Actor in American History X, and 2015 for Best Supporting Actor in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

For Monica Barbaro, who played Joan Baez and received a Best Supporting Actress nomination, this is her first Academy Award nomination in her career.