How Timothée Chalamet transformed into Bob Dylan

NEW YORK — How many roads must a man walk down to play Bob Dylan? Off and on for some six years, Chalamet has been obsessively working toward his performance in “A Complete Unknown.” He has visited Dylan’s childhood home, learned how to play the guitar and immersed himself in the early ‘60s New York that Dylan emerged out of — even if much of it has faded with history by now. was funny because they have Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan painted along the staircase and everything but now it’s just, like, Aerosmith covers,” Chalamet says, chuckling. “I was like: I don’t think this is what it was like when Bob was here.” Chalamet has been building his Bob Dylan for so long that he’s been seen playing Dylan songs while in costume as Willy Wonka and on the set of “Dune.” His “Dune” co-star, Oscar Isaac, said, ”My first thought, it sounded like a really bad idea.” Isaac certainly wasn’t the only one to doubt whether Chalamet, or anyone, could tackle someone as iconic and enigmatic as Dylan. I like the more intimate songs like “Girl From the North Country” or “Boots of Spanish Leather” or “One Too Many Mornings” or “Tomorrow Is a Long Time.” But then I also liked “North Country Blues” and “Rocks and Gravel” or “Ballad of Hollis Brown” — things where you hear the iron ore in Bob’s voice, the North Country in Minnesota, the Hibbing.