Turning Timothee Chalamet into Bob Dylan
Published on 13 February 2025
Bob Dylan is an idiosyncratic legend, and a man beloved by millions. When you are tasked with portraying him on screen for a biopic, then those shoes become pretty big (and specific) to fill.
Even when you’re an award-winning actor who has just come off the back of playing epic sci-fi prince Paul Atreides in the Dune movies, Dylan will be a tough nut to crack, character-wise. Such was the situation for Timothee Chalamet when he became Bob for the movie A Complete Unknown. And it can be taken for granted that Dylan acolytes will be unswervingly critical of every move, every vocal inflection and definitely every musical performance.
Sometimes, a little help goes a long way.
Enter Larry Saltzman, a super-experienced guitarist who has toured with the likes of Paul Simon in the past as well as appearing on Saturday Night Live. Larry worked with Oscar winner Meryl Streep to get her up to speed on guitar duties for the movie Ricki and the Flash, and was the man called upon by director James Mangold to work his magic with Timothee.
I recently had the opportunity to jump on a Zoom call with Larry to talk all about this very unique situation. Larry was a lovely chap to talk to, and revealed some very cool and interesting things about not only the process, but Chalamet’s dedication to his craft.
Check out the conversation below, and check out the movie A Complete Unknown at your local cinema now!
