Oscar Isaac claimed when filming ‘Dune’ that his co-star Timothée Chalamet playing Bob Dylan was a ‘bad idea’.
Oscar Isaac wasn’t immediately Timothée Chalamet was the ideal candidate to play Bob Dylan in his upcoming biopic, A Complete Unknown, until he saw him play the guitar and sing.
At the 2024 Gotham Awards on December 2, the Star Wars alum recalled his initial doubts when Chalamet originally announced his plans to star in A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s upcoming film about the music legend’s early career.
Isaac, 45, presented Chalamet and Mangold with the Visionary Tribute award and recalled the scene that made him eat his words during filming Dune: Part One, in which Chalamet played his on-screen son.
“My first thought, ‘It sounds like a really bad idea,'” Isaac said during his speech. “I mean, it is Dylan. It’s the holy of holies for me. “It just did not sound right.”
But all changed when the Wonka star grabbed his guitar and began playing Dylan’s Girl from the North Country. Isaac, who played a folk musician in 1961 New York in Inside Llewyn Davis, was taken aback by the sincerity Chalamet brought to the role.
Despite being new to guitar and singing, Isaac described Chalamet’s performance as “rediscovering something he’d always known.” Isaac and his Dune co-stars, including Josh Brolin, were in wonder as Chalamet “connected with something mysterious,” capturing the soul of folk music.
Chalamet spent five years training for the part, which Mangold and Isaac believe captures Dylan’s character with “humility and irreverence.” The film, which explores Dylan’s growth and transition to electric guitars, will be released in theaters on December 25.
The Moon Knight star concluded by praising Chalamet and Mangold’s approach, stating that it reflects Dylan’s own ability to blend tradition with modernity.