Berlin Succumbs to Chala-Mania as Timothée Dodges Politics but Warns of “Cult-Like Figures”
Things got political with Timothée Chalamet upon his arrival in a snow-capped Berlin.
When a question was asked to the actor about how he looks at the present time following his starring role in James Mangold’s Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, screening at the Berlinale, as well as the “rise of populism and the extreme right,” Chalamet at first seemed to want to dodge the question.
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He kept it on Bob Dylan and also referenced his starring role in Dune: “I don’t think that’s necessarily a political question,” he said. “But I think it’s in the nature of his music, the warnings against cult-like figures. I won’t speak for him, because he’s alive and well in Malibu, literally. But my interpretation is just be wary of savior-like figures. What I would have learned is what I just said, just to be wary of anyone who says they have a solution. That’s obviously a warning in Frank Herbert’s Dune.”
Chalamet spoke at the Berlinale press conference on Friday, in a room packed wall-to-wall with international journalists keen to get a glimpse at the Oscar nominee. He was a little late to the presser after signing autographs for fans braving the snowy conditions outside Berlin’s Grand Hyatt hotel.
“Well, firstly, it was the incomparable artist Bob Dylan and the enormous legacy left behind,” Chalamet said about what attracted him to James Mangold’s film.
“I felt he was leaving behind a road map for other artists, really — because I’m an actor, I’m not a musician — to follow. And I found that to be tremendously inspiring after that. Of course, it was James Mangold, the incredible script he wrote. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
“The whole process was really exhilarating, especially the concert stuff, the Newport Film Festival … I love this movie so much, I would do [press] for a year.” He continued: “Bob Dylan, the man, the artist, became a shining light for me and a guide for me to this day. His individuality and the refusal be a part of the masses. I had an excuse to study this man and this period for five and a half years? What a gift.”
The French American actor, who on Friday was looking bee-like in a red and yellow striped zip-up hoodie and white bandana tied around his neck, has been the recipient of fervid awards buzz since his outing as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s biopic, with The Hollywood Reporter describing Chalamet’s performance as “electrifying” in its review.
After netting a best actor Oscar nomination for the role, Chalamet has become the youngest multiple best actor nominee since James Dean with Call Me by Your Name (2017) and A Complete Unknown (2024).
The 2025 Berlinale runs Feb. 13-23.
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