See the Cast of Bob Dylan Biopic "A Complete Unknown" Compared to the Real-Life People They Play
Maddie Garfinkle
July 26, 2024 at 3:15 PM
Timothée Chalamet leads an ensemble cast in the highly anticipated biopic about Bob Dylan's early years
A Complete Unknown, the highly anticipated biopic about Bob Dylan's early years starring Timothée Chalamet, released its first trailer in July 2024, giving fans a glimpse of the long-awaited film.
Directed by Walk the Line's James Mangold, the movie delves into Dylan's arrival in New York City at 19 and his rise to fame, culminating in his controversial electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Chalamet's performance has already generated buzz, with the first teaser showcasing the Oscar nominee singing Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," after he's introduced by Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), a notable mentor and early supporter of the musician.
Related: All About the Bob Dylan Biopic Starring Timothée Chalamet
The film also covers Dylan's relationships with key figures like Joan Baez, portrayed by Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a character roughly based on Dylan's girlfriend in the early 1960s, Suze Rotolo. The ensemble cast will portray other real-life icons such as Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) who influenced Dylan's early career.
A Complete Unknown does not have an official release date but is set to hit theaters sometime in December 2024. In the meantime, here's everything to know about the cast and the real-life figures they portray.
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan
Chalamet stars as Dylan, capturing the essence of the young musician's early days in N.Y.C.
In April 2023, Mangold confirmed to Collider that Chalamet wouldn't only act, but also do his own singing for the role -- which fans were given a brief preview of in the film's first trailer. The actor's vocal coach, Eric Vetro, told PEOPLE in December 2023 that viewers may be "shocked" by Chalamet's performance in the upcoming biopic.
"You're going to think you're hearing Bob Dylan sing," Vetro said. "Once again, he just has this uncanny ability to not impersonate, but really breathe life into it. He's embodying Bob Dylan and what he was like at that age."
During an interview with MTV in December 2023, Chalamet said that his most listened to artist for that year was most likely Dylan. He added that the singer's manager, Jeff Rosen, gave him 12 hours of unreleased music from 1959 to 1964 which, he added, "might earn the ire and wrath of a lot of Bob fans, rightfully."
"I feel like I'm holding onto gold or something," Chalamet said.
Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo
Fanning stars as Sylvie Russo, a character based on the real-life Suze Rotolo, Dylan's girlfriend and muse during the early 1960s.
Rotolo, who died in 2011, is famously known as the girl on the cover of Dylan's album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Their relationship lasted from 1961 to 1964 and had a profound influence on Dylan's songwriting. In an interview with Glamour U.K. in July 2024, Fanning spoke about the depth of Rotolo's relationship with Dylan.
"She was an incredible woman, reading her memoir was really interesting, and just aspects of their relationship," Fanning said. "I mean, she really was his first love."
In an interview with Rolling Stone in July 2024, Mangold expanded on why Rotolo's character is loosely fictionalized while the others are direct portrayals, noting that, unlike the majority of individuals in Dylan's early career, Rotolo was "just a real person."
"Everyone else is up for the gauntlet and has been in that game a long time," the director said. "And there was just a feeling for Bob of not subjecting her to that."
He added that while her character is not an exact portrayal of Rotolo, Fanning captures her essence and impact on Dylan's life in the early 1960s.
"Certainly the character Elle plays is that energy. Someone who comes into his life, who is an artist herself, who is politically active, who ends up moving in with him and being incredibly important to his awakening to some of these issues at play," Mangold said.
Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez
Barbaro takes on the role of Joan Baez, the renowned folk singer and activist who played a significant role in Dylan's early career as she introduced the musician to her audience in the early 1960s.
Baez and Dylan's relationship was both professional and personal, with their romantic ties ultimately coming to an end in 1965. In the 2023 documentary Joan Baez: I Am A Noise, the iconic singer said that Dylan "broke [her] heart."
Barbaro was spotted in her Baez attire and clutching a guitar case while filming in N.Y.C. in March 2024.
Edward Norton as Pete Seeger
Norton, known for his iconic roles in films like Fight Club and American History X, will assume the role of Pete Seeger, the legendary folk singer and social activist who was an early supporter of Dylan.
Seeger, who was a prominent figure in the American folk music revival at the time, encouraged Dylan in the preliminary stages of his career. As Dylan moved towards a more electric and rock-influenced sound, diverging from Seeger's traditional folk roots, the pair's relationship became subject of various rumors suggesting that Seeger disapproved -- which he has refuted.
"Bob! Someone just told me that you too think I didn't like your going electric in 1965," Seeger wrote in a letter to Dylan in 1990, per Far Out Magazine. "I've denied that so many times."
In A Complete Unknown, Norton's portrayal of Seeger will bring forward his mentorship of Dylan and the controversial moment when the musician shocked the audience at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 by performing with an electric guitar.
Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash
Boyd Holbrook stars as Johnny Cash, the iconic country singer and close friend of Dylan.
Cash and Dylan shared a deep friendship and mutual respect for each other's music. They collaborated on Dylan's album Nashville Skyline and remained close friends for over 40 years. Cash was the one to initiate their friendship, reaching out to Dylan to extend his appreciation of his artistry. In his memoir, Cash: The Autobiography, the musician reflected on their friendship origin story.
"I wrote Bob a letter telling him how much of a fan I was," Cash penned. "He wrote back almost immediately, saying he'd been following my music since 'I Walk the Line,' and so we began a correspondence."
Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie
Scoot McNairy plays Woody Guthrie, the legendary folk singer who greatly influenced Dylan.
Guthrie's music and activism were a significant inspiration for Dylan, who idolized him and tracked him down at a hospital in New Jersey soon after moving to New York in 1961.
Dylan's admiration for Guthrie is well documented. He praised the artist throughout his career, dedicated songs to him and wrote the poem "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie" in 1963, as the musician was dying of Huntington's disease.
Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman
Dan Fogler stars as Albert Grossman, Dylan's influential and controversial manager.
Grossman managed Dylan from 1962 to 1970, playing a crucial role in his rise to fame. Known for his aggressive business tactics and protective nature, Grossman was both a mentor and a source of tension for Dylan, per TeachRock.org.
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