Timothée Chalamet playfully poked fun at himself during his Saturday Night Live monologue on Jan. 25.
The 29-year-old actor, who stars as Bob Dylan in the new film A Complete Unknown, took on dual roles as both host and musical guest for the night. Returning for his third time as host, the New York native opened his nearly five-minute monologue by joking about his frequent losses at major award shows and his struggle with facial hair.
“This is my third time hosting Saturday Night Live, but the first time hosting it with a little stache and a little goatee,” Chalamet quipped, referencing a Golden Globes joke. “That’s 37 hairs right there,” he added, as the camera zoomed in on his goatee.
Chalamet also reflected on his role as the folk icon, which follows his 2023 film Wonka.
“I will say, it was a little weird playing Bob Dylan right after I played Willy Wonka,” he said. “But I actually discovered that the two men have a lot in common. They’re both eccentric, they’re both innovators, and they both captured and enslaved hundreds of Oompa-Loompas.”
Chalamet then shifted to his repeated losses at awards shows, showing a montage of his disappointed reactions when winners were announced.
“It’s an enormous honor going to these award shows,” he said before setting up the video. “It’s a great experience but I just keep losing. And each time, it gets harder to pretend it doesn’t sting. Let’s take a look. Oh man, just another lonely night with my Dune popcorn bucket.”
A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, has earned eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture. After the compilation video, Chalamet was set to practice an acceptance speech — only to be interrupted by SNL cast member Kenan Thompson, who humorously took the faux award for himself.
Chalamet wrapped up his monologue by teasing the Dylan songs he would perform later in the show.
“You might not know the Bob Dylan songs I’m performing, but they’re my personal favorites,” he told the audience. “And I’m so grateful Saturday Night Live is still doing weird stuff life this 50 years in.”
He added with a grin, “They’re either really nice for letting me do this or incredibly mean, and this is all a big prank. I sincerely can’t tell. We’ll find out.”
Introduced by SNL alum Adam Sandler, Chalamet began his musical guest spot with a high-energy performance of “Outlaw Blues,” which smoothly transitioned into a more intimate, spoken-word version of “Three Angels,” with surprise guest James Blake on keyboards and backing vocals. He later returned with an acoustic guitar for a heartfelt cover of “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” again accompanied by Blake on keys and vocals.
Watch Chalamet’s full SNL monologue below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
