Is Timothée Chalamet singing in the Bob Dylan movie ‘A Complete Unknown’?

On By Littum

In the world of Hollywood it seems Timothée Chalamet can do it all.

Regardless of whether he portrays a post-apocalyptic savior in the Dune movie franchisea beloved literary character i Little Womenor earn an Oscar nomination for Call me by your namethe actor has a number of talents that cross roles. And as people looked in Wonka back in 2023, Timothée revealed yet another skill: his ability to carry a tune and sing.

Now Timothée puts his vocal ability to the test in his latest project, A complete unknown (released December 25). The biopic sees him portray a legendary musician Bob Dylan as he rises to fame in 1960s New York City. While the story tells how Bob became a pioneer in electric instruments, it will showcase some of Bob’s influential musical catalog, including songs such as “Girl from the North“and”Like a Rolling Stone.”

Considering how Bob is known for his prolific voice and Timothée seemingly taking on all the necessary elements to portray him, we desperately need to know: Timothée Chalamet actually sings along A complete unknown? Or was his voice dubbed over to make it sound like Bob? As it turns out, we have an answer – and it comes from none other than Timothée himself.

is Timothee Chalamet singing in a completely unknown

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Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A complete unknown.

Here’s the short answer: When you see A complete unknownwill you hear Timothée’s true (and living!) voice. As he explained in a November 2024 interview with Weekly entertainmentthe ability to sing Bob’s music live was an important element for him when he took on the role.

“It was important for me to sing and play live,” he explained in a posted clip on YouTube. “Because if I can actually do it, why would there be an element of artifice here? And I’m proud that we took that leap.”

And if that’s not enough, this information might shock you. It is not one or two songs that Timothée sings in A complete unknown – indeed it is 40 songs throughout the film. And he adds to that by also playing harmonica and guitar – meaning he’s basically a triple threat!

A complete unknown also features other iconic 60s musicians, such as Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Woody Guthrie (Scott McNairy). It turns out that Timothée is not the only one who sings in the film.

“It’s a real feat to do the songs,” added Boyd, who portrays the “Ring of Fire” singer. “It was a process.”

And if you’re wondering how Timothée’s vocal performance will be received A complete unknownthere is really only one opinion that matters. As Bob wrote on X (formerly Twitter), he’s ready to be blown away.

“There’s a movie about me opening soon called A complete unknown (what a title!),” he wrote on Dec. 4. “Timothee Chalamet stars. Timmy is a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’ll be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or another me … It’s a great retelling of events from the early 60s.”

Main photo by Adrianna Freedman

As entertainment and news editorial assistant for Good housekeepingAdrianna (she/her) writes about all things TV, film, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Business Management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomybut when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking up martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.