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Timothèe Chalamet had to gain a substantial amount of weight to play music legend Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
The film, which premiered in December 2024, tells the story of the "Mr. Tambourine Man" hitmaker's rise to stardom, featuring Chalamet as the lead. The Dune actor sat down with NPR's Ailsa Chang on January 20th, zooming in on the work he put in both physically and mentally to deliver a convincing portrayal of Dylan.
"I did all the work … physicality, behavior-wise. But something we haven’t really talked about, I also put on 20 pounds...Believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy, you know?"
Page Six mentioned that Chalamet has yet to meet the "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" icon, but is no stranger to the "authenticity" of his music. Dylan himself praised Chalamet for taking on the role, referring to him as a "brilliant" actor in a post shared to X just a few weeks before the release of the film.
"Timothèe Chalamet is starring in the lead role. 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."
Chalamet's dedication to the project earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor as part of this year's Academy Awards.
For more on Timothèe Chalamet in A Complete Unknown, read: Why Timothée Chalamet Was Fined At His Own 'Complete Unknown' Premiere.