Yesterday, the first official trailer dropped for Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, where the acclaimed “Voice of a Generation” will be played by Timothée Chalamet. The James Mangold-directed film offers a glimpse into Dylan’s era of “going electric”, the iconic departure from the folk music that made the musician an icon of ’60s counterculture.
A Complete Unknown is part of a growing trend of musician biopics, with hit films like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) and Elvis (2022) using a mix of the actors’ vocals and recordings of Freddie Mercury and Elvis Presley. Dylan is thought to be keeping a close eye on the film’s production, even offering unreleased recordings to Chalamet to help the actor get into character. So are the vocals heard in the trailer an authentic slice of Dylan, or a top-notch vocal impersonation from Chalamet?
Is Bob Dylan’s voice in A Complete Unknown a recording, or is it Timothée himself?
The voice heard in the new trailer for A Complete Unknown, is, in fact, Timothée Chalamet doing a rather spot-on impression of the musical icon. When asked by Collider at Star Wars Celebration 2023 if Chalamet would be doing his own vocals for the film, director James Mangold replied “Of course!”.
Vocal coach Eric Vetro, who worked with Chalamet for the titular role in Wonka, told People in December 2023 he was working with the star once again for A Complete Unknown, to help the actor perfectly recreate Bob Dylan’s vocals.
“It’s kind of astonishing because going from the Wonka character to Bob Dylan, it’s a completely different character, completely different voice, everything — and he does it,” Vetro told the publication. “He could turn on a dime. He’s so talented that he is able to just switch into one role or the other really quickly.”