Timothée Chalamet Reveals Singing “War” During ‘A Complete Unknown’ & Saoirse Ronan Says She’d Like To Make A Musical: BFI In Conversation
Ladybird (2017) and Little Women (2019) co-stars Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan reunited at the BFI Southbank in London on December 18 for a conversation about their careers, collaborations with each other and new films.
When discussing his portrayal of Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s upcoming musical biopic A Complete Unknown, Oscar nominee Chalamet revealed that he was nervous to play Song To Woody for the first time and that there was a “whole war on the movie” about whether he should use prerecords or sing the music live.
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“I was in the camp that wanted to do it live because it’s folk music and Bob Dylan was certainly matching his voice. So, I didn’t want to be matching me, mimicking Bob Dylan in a studio in L.A. 6 months before we shot,” said Chalamet. “When that song went well [Song to Woody], I felt like I had a green light to work with the music team on the movie to always do it live.”
The Dune: Part Two alum shared the advice that his co-star Edward Norton gave him to reinforce his decision: “Edward Norton was always in my ear saying ‘You sound better live, do it live,’ which was good ammo.”
A Complete Unknown is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan and the Night That Split the Sixties. The story follows iconic troubadour Bob Dylan as he creates a new sound in folk music and goes against convention in the context of other great singers.
During the talk, Chalamet and Ronan also reminisced about the first time that they met during a rehearsal for Lady Bird at director Greta Gerwig’s apartment. “We were very lucky that we clicked straight away. And we had Greta, who seemed to be so excited from day one by whatever was happening between the two of us,” gushed Ronan.
When asked about a movie genre that she still wants to explore, four-time Oscar nominee Ronan excitedly responded with “a musical.” She joked about the musical being Wicked because “I can’t stop thinking about Wicked. I love it so much.”
“Maybe an original,” she continued. “I would like to do a biopic on someone, but I’m not going to say who it is because I don’t want someone to steal it.” Ronan confirmed that the person she has in mind is alive but is not aware that she wants to do a biopic based on them.
Ronan’s recent credits include Steve McQueen’s Blitz, and Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, which landed nine nominations at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards. A Complete Unknown will arrive in theaters on December 25.
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