Oscars Best Picture nominee 'A Complete Unknown' celebrates life and music career of Bob Dylan
NEW YORK -- Among this year's Best Picture nominees at this year's Oscars is the story of an American legend.
The scene is set during the 1960s in New York City, where a 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with $5 in his pocket. In less than three years, the man becomes one of the biggest musical stars of his day.
That person, is Bob Dylan.
"A Complete Unknown," now up for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, shows the fascinating and flawed story behind Dylan's electric rise. Timothee Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan, a performance that earned him his second Oscar nod.
The journey to bring Dylan's story to the screen took years, according to Chalamet. He says it was hard to let go after finishing production.
"I was working on this for so long, and I put my heart and my everything into it. Bob Dylan is an American legend and an American folk hero and I hope we did this movie justice," Chalamet said. "We covered the early period of his life, 1961-1965, and cover Bob's traversing from the folk movement to American rock and roll, to going electric."
The acclaimed cast includes two more Oscar nominees. Actress Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez, while Edward Norton stars as folk legend Pete Seeger.
"He was the exemplar of what it meant to be an artist and a humanist," Norton said. "I felt a lot of responsibility to his spirit and his family. The whole thing was just a privilege."
When asked what he would say to Dylan if he had the opportunity to meet him, Chalamet said he would just give Dylan all of his gratitude.
"I would just say thank you. Thank you for all your music and your art," Chalamet said. "Not even thank you for the opportunity, just thank you for everything you've already given to American culture because we're all better off for it.
Director James Mangold opened up about his own personal conversation with Dylan.
"He talked about the loneliness of being a folk singer, that when you're all alone on stage, that part of his desire to ultimately have a band wasn't based on changing music history, but was just that he yearned to have a band and friends," Mangold said.
In the end, Chalamet said he was grateful to have had the privilege to portray an American icon.
"If Bob Dylan's writing period was so prolific in the early '60s, some people said it was almost as if God was speaking through Bob, I feel like I had a smidgen of that grace wash off on me," Chalamet said.
March 2 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2025 Oscars live on ABC and Hulu.
Live red carpet coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET 12:30 p.m. PT with "On The Red Carpet at the Oscars."
Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and on the On the Red Carpet Facebook and YouTube pages.
The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O'Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET 4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by a special preview of "American Idol."
Disney is the parent company of Hulu and this station.
ALSO READ: How the stars get ready for the Oscars red carpet
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
