How Timothée Chalamet proved onscreen dad Oscar Isaac wrong about Bob Dylan role

Oscar Isaac wasn’t immediately convinced Timothée Chalamet was the right choice to play Bob Dylan in his new biopic, A Complete Unknown — until he heard him play the guitar and sing.

At the 2024 Gotham Awards on December 2, the Star Wars alum recalled his initial skepticism when Chalamet first shared his plans to star in A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s upcoming film about the music legend’s early career.

Presenting Chalamet and Mangold with the Visionary Tribute award, Isaac, 45, recalled the moment that made him eat his words while filming Dune: Part One, where Chalamet played his on-screen son.

“My first thought, ‘It sounds like a really bad idea,’” Isaac admitted during his speech. “I mean, it’s Dylan. It’s the holy of holies for me. It just didn’t sound right.”

But everything changed when the Wonka star picked up his guitar and started playing Dylan’s Girl from the North Country. Isaac, who portrayed a folk musician in 1961 New York in Inside Llewyn Davis, was stunned by the authenticity Chalamet brought to the moment.

Despite being new to guitar and singing, Isaac said Chalamet’s performance felt like “rediscovering something he’d always known.” Isaac and his Dune co-stars, including Josh Brolin, watched in awe as Chalamet “connected with something mysterious,” capturing the essence of folk music.

Chalamet spent five years preparing for the role, which Mangold and Isaac agree captures Dylan’s spirit with “humility and irreverence.” The film, which explores Dylan’s rise and his transition to electric guitars, hits theaters December 25.

The Moon Knight star closed by praising Chalamet and Mangold’s approach, saying it mirrors Dylan’s own ability to blend tradition with modernity.