Timothee Chalamet debuts blonde transformation in nod to Bob Dylan

By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

Timothee Chalamet stepped out with blonde locks in a nod to Bob Dylan at the New York premiere of A Complete Unknown.

The US actor stars as influential folk singer Dylan in the Oscar-tipped film, which follows his early days as a musician in New York City, culminating in his famed performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Oscar-nominated Chalamet bore a striking resemblance to the musician at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, sporting a shaggy blonde hairstyle and a blue beanie hat paired with a black leather jacket and scarf.

NY Premiere of “A Complete Unknown”
Timothee Chalamet attends the premiere of A Complete Unknown (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Photo by Evan Agostini

It came after the 28-year-old actor channelled Dylan’s style at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, wearing a classic black leather jacket adorned with pins depicting a young Dylan.

One of the pins read Get Born, a lyric from Subterranean Homesick Blues – the opening song on Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home.

He paired the ensemble with a black Cuban heel, synonymous with Dylan’s style in the 1960s.

Dylan previously appeared confident that Chalamet will be “completely believable” in the biopic.

He wrote on X: “Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me.”

NY Premiere of “A Complete Unknown”
Timothee Chalamet, left, and Elle Fanning attend the premiere of A Complete Unknown (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Photo by Evan Agostini

Dylan said the film has been adapted from a 2015 book by Elijah Wald titled Dylan Goes Electric!

“It’s a fantastic retelling of events from the early ’60s that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie, read the book,” the 83-year-old added.

The James Mangold-directed film also stars US actress Elle Fanning as love interest Sylvie Russo.

The 26-year-old wore a custom Prada buttercup yellow strapless dress paired with Cartier jewelry on the New York carpet.

The premiere comes days after Chalamet received the Gotham visionary award alongside A Complete Unknown filmmaker Mangold for the film, which began life in 2019.

NY Premiere of “A Complete Unknown”
Elle Fanning attends the premiere of A Complete Unknown (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Photo by Evan Agostini

Chalamet previously said he found parallels with Dylan’s journey to stardom, finding his confidence in smaller budget films, including his Oscar-nominated turn in Call Me By Your Name, while Dylan found his stride in folk music.

The actor received a Golden Globe nod for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role, while the film has been tipped for best picture.