Timothée Chalamet Thought ‘A Complete Unknown’ Production Was ‘Cursed’: It Took ‘Five Years’ to Get Made

Timothée Chalamet didn’t even know if “A Complete Unknown” would ever get made.

The actor, who is now Oscar-nominated for portraying Bob Dylan in the biopic, told W that he thought the film was “cursed” because of its production delays. The feature was originally titled “Going Electric,” and was adapted from Elijah Wald’s 2015 biography “Dylan Goes Electric.” Writer/director James Mangold announced the film in 2020 — a bad time to start production — and the feature was shelved amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released in 2024.

“Originally, I thought I had no time to prepare, but there were delays,” Chalamet said for W’s Directors Issue alongside his “Dune” auteur Denis Villeneuve and David Lynch’s original Paul Atreides, Kyle MacLachlan. “I began to think the film was cursed, but the five years it took to get the cast and movie finally together ended up being a good thing.”

Chalamet added of his prep, “I was studying guitar on Arrakis,” referencing the set of Villeneuve’s fictional desert planet in “Dune.”

The ties between “Dune” and “A Complete Unknown” don’t end there for Chalamet: “Frank Herbert, who wrote ‘Dune,’ and Bob Dylan are both children of the ‘60s,” he said. “They both came of age in the folk world. Herbert knew frustration too — ‘Dune’ was turned down by 23 publishers.”

Chalamet added of playing Dylan, “Being American, playing an American icon like Bob Dylan is definitely pressured. People have high expectations. I wanted to get it right.”

Chalamet previously told Vogue that he had been “preparing for forever” to portray Dylan. The prep work included working with a vocal coach every day and learning how to play guitar. He also revealed in a GQ cover story that he rented a home in Woodstock, New York, went to Dylan’s previous homes in New York City, and read the memoir “Chronicles: Volume One.” He also met with “Inside Llewyn Davis” director Joel Coen for more insights on the 1960s folk scene.

“I haven’t stopped preparing, which has been one of the greatest gifts for me,” Chalamet said in 2022. “It’s been a wonderful experience getting to dive into that world, whether we get to make it or not. But without giving anything away — because I don’t want to beat anyone to the punch, and obviously things have to come together officially — the winds that are blowing are blowing in a very positive direction.”