Timothée Chalamet has spoken out about the similarities between the political messages of Bob Dylan and Dune.
- READ MORE: A Complete Unknown review – don’t think twice about seeing this brilliant Bob Dylan biopic
Speaking at a press conference for his Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, Chalamet was asked multiple times what he took from playing the iconic folk singer.
Drawing comparisons between Dylan’s subtle political messages and those of Dune writer Frank Herbert, the actor said that both taught him to “be wary of cult-like figures,” adding that it is a sensible philosophy.
“I won’t speak for him [Bob Dylan] because he’s alive and well in Malibu, but my interpretation is just be wary of any saviour-like figures,” Chalamet said (via Deadline).
He added: “Frank Herbert’s Dune, which was written in the same period of American history, granted, Frank Herbert was on the West Coast, probably doing acid at a typewriter, and Bob Dylan was on the East Coast. But the messaging was still similar.”
Also during the press conference, Chalamet was asked about his process for choosing roles, but the actor insisted that he doesn’t have a specific approach.
“I’m just trying to find a fantastic director to work with,” he said. “I’ve been lucky that all those projects you mentioned, whether it’s Greta Gerwig with Little Women or Denis Villeneuve with Dune or the Luca Guadagnino movies I’ve made, they’ve all been there on the page. These characters are basically different. So I couldn’t say it’s a much more complicated process than that. I wish I could give you a more pretentious answer, but it’s just not the truth.”
Chalamet added that he tries not to get too “scientific” about his work because “creation and analysation are different processes.” As an actor, one must stay “stay loose and un-self-serious in your work,” he said.
Directed by James Mangold, A Complete Unknown covers the period from Dylan’s early success in the folk scene, to the infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival where he scandalised his peers and the audience by using electric instruments.
The film also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz and Scoot McNairy.
In NME’s four-star review, Alex Flood described Chalamet’s performance as “a career-best showing”, adding: “If you’re already a fan, the next few weeks will be spent making playlists of lesser-known B-sides or reading the lore around a scene you weren’t familiar with.”