Timothée Chalamet embodies Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown'

LOS ANGELES -- Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is the subject of a new movie.

Timothée Chalamet plays the iconic music star in "A Complete Unknown." The film had its Hollywood premiere Monday night.

It tells the story of how Bob Dylan went from a 19-year-old with $5 in his pocket to becoming one of the biggest musical stars of the day, all in less than three years.

While the real Dylan hasn't seen the movie, he has given praise to the young actor who plays him.

"When one of these greats looks down from the mountaintop and pats you on the back in some way, regardless of the movie, it was a great feeling," Chalamet said.

"I hope that the younger generation can experience Bob Dylan the way that we all experienced Bob Dylan at 12, 13, 15, in our teens," said co-star Scoot McNairy, who plays Woody Guthrie.

The actress who plays Joan Baez did plenty of research, finding her biggest inspiration in a book Joan wrote. Monica Barbaro said she was "just trying to get a piece of her essence in the film as opposed to mimicking or trying to be perfect, trying to control it."

And if you're wondering about the music in the movie, there was no lip-synching at all.

"It's 100% Timmy Chalamet. That's true for every artist in the movie," said James Mangold, the film's director, producer and writer.

"It's about raw emotion and authenticity and victory," he said. "And so to make a movie about that kind of music and then someone else's disembodied voice coming out the throat of a young man just seems, you know what? When I describe it, doesn't the decision make sense? Yeah!"

"A Complete Unknown" will be in theaters on Christmas Day.

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