James Mangold’s 2024 musical biopic,A Complete Unknown, chronicles the early career of music legend Bob Dylan. The movie outlines Dylan first getting into the folk music scene in New York City through the1965 Newport Folk Festivalwhere he was greeted with backlash for his decision to play electric instruments.A Complete Unknownalso pays special attention to Dylan’s relationships withSylvie Russo (based on Suze Rotolo)and Joan Baez, highlighting how his relationships heavily influenced the music that he ended up making.
A Complete Unknownhas been well-received by critics, and it earned eightnominations at the 2025 Oscars. Most recently, Timothée Chalamet took home the SAG Award for Best Actor, proving just how impressive his portrayal of the musician really is. Overall,A Complete Unknownhas received positive reviewsfrom both critics and audiences, and even Bob Dylan himself has thoughts on the depiction of his life.
Bob Dylan Has Not Seen A Complete Unknown, But He’s Supportive Of It
Dylan Feels That Chalamet Is A Talented Performer
Given how famous Bob Dylan is, it actually makes sense that he would attempt to avoid seeing every movie or documentary that is released about his life, as it would be impossible for any of them to be 100% accurate. Thus, unsurprisingly,A Complete Unknown’s director, James Mangold, has stated that Dylan has not seen the film. When speaking toThe Hollywood Reporter, Mangold stated that “[Dylan’s manager] Jeff Rosen says he doesn’t think he’s ever watched any of the documentaries about him.”
In fact, Mangold theorizes that it is “a kind of self-protection” that allows Dylan not to get over-involved in representations of his life. However, prior to the release of the film,Dylan shared on social media to voice his support of Timothée Chalamet, stating “Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me,” (viaX). One underlying factor that is present in both Mangold’s take and Bob Dylan’s own sentiments is that it would be impossible to get everything completely correct, but Chalamet’s portrayal of the star has some level of truth in it.
James Mangold Consulted Bob Dylan During The Making Of A Complete Unknown
Working With Dylan Allowed The Movie To Remain Based On Truth
Despite not having seen the movie in its final form,Bob Dylan was actually involved inA Complete Unknownduring the early stages. James Mangold worked with Dylan while he was writing the script with Jay Cocks, allowing Dylan to give feedback about the events portrayed and the movie’s tone. Dylan read through the entire script, provided notes, and asked for changes to be made (like the name change for Sylvie Russo). Before filming even started,Dylan signed off on the script and went about his business, showing that while he had an important role, he wasn’t present on set.
Was Bob Dylan Really Called Judas For Playing An Electric Guitar Like In A Complete Unknown?
When Bob Dylan plays an electric guitar in A Complete Unknown, an audience member yells out, “Judas!” Was this based on a real incident?
While audiences have noted that there aresome inaccuracies present inA Complete Unknown, knowing that Bob Dylan himself was directly involved in the screenwriting proves that he was okay with these changes to his life. In fact, to a certain extent, the movie’s mix of fact with fiction actually works well to highlight the artist’s persona and the nature of celebrity itself. While Dylan is one of the most well-known artists in the world, it would be impossible for fans to know every detail of his life, and it seems that he wants to keep it this way, makingA Complete Unknowna very interesting addition to his legacy.
