Joan Baez has shared her thoughts on James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, and gave “kudos” to Monica Barbaro, who portrays Baez in the film.
“I loved what she did in the film,” Baez told her hometown paper, the Marin Independent Journal. “If I didn’t think she was good at it, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it in general. But she looked enough like me and she had my gestures down. You could tell who it was. She worked so hard. Kudos to her for taking the role on.”
Barbaro, who initially had five months to prep for her role, told the paper she did extensive research during that time and also worked with a vocal coach and guitar teacher — she said she wasn’t a singer nor did she play guitar beforehand. “Joan’s fingerpicking style is so intricate, so specific, and I had no experience at that,” she said. And then, the actors and writers strikes began, giving Barbaro another four months to prepare on her own. She also reached out to Baez, who had said she would be available for any of the actors who wanted to speak with her.
Barbaro was hesitant to do so at first, adding that she wanted to “do her justice,” but was also intimidated. However, she overcame her fears and gave Baez a call.
“I felt emotional hearing her voice on the phone because I had been studying her voice in her twenties so intensely,” she said. “And I felt like I had so much respect for her. But she was like, ‘Oh, I’m just in my garden listening to the birds.’ And I was like, oh, yeah, you don’t live or die by what we say about you in this movie. She’s lived her life.
“And I can’t imagine how surreal it would be to know that someone is sort of dressing up and playing you in a movie,” Barbaro continued. “But she really took it in stride. She wasn’t trying to dictate in any way my response to her. She was like, ‘I’m here, I’m open and available for any question you have.’ I was really appreciative that she was so generous with me.”
As for the movie’s musical performances, Baez called the music “fantastic.” “I may be blocking my feelings, but it’s an amusing movie. It was fun,” she said.
Baez also gave praise to Timothée Chalamat’s portrayal of her former lover, noting he captured Dylan’s all-encompassing charisma.
“I have to come back to that’s how it was,” Baez said. “When he walked into the room, he took up all the oxygen. And so my part was always diminished in his presence. And in that sense the film is accurate.”
