Introducing Gen Z to Bob Dylan!
The 97th Academy Awards finally took place on March 2nd, 2025. History was made in several categories. Paul Tazewell, responsible for Wicked’s stunning wardrobe, became the first black costume designer to win an Oscar! Flow, a movie created on Blender, a free 3D computer graphics software tool, won Best Animated Feature Film. Not only was this the first independent film to ever win Best Animated Film at the Oscars, but Flow also delivered Latvia its first Academy Award. Kieran Culkin completed his awards season sweep, becoming a first-time Academy Award winner for his performance as Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg’s 2024 feature film A Real Pain.
Among the Academy Award nominees for Best Actor was Timothée Chalamet, for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown that hit theaters on Christmas. Not only was he nominated for Best Actor, but since 2017, Timothée Chalamet has starred in seven films nominated for Best Picture. And he has been the lead for four of them! Keep in mind that the French-American actor is only twenty-nine years old!
Although we know that Timothée Chalamet did unfortunately lose the prize to Adrien Brody, who starred in The Brutalist, Chalamet would have made history yet again if he had won. It would have made him the youngest to ever win Best Actor. Funnily enough, the actor who currently holds that record is Adrien Brody for his role in The Pianist twenty-two years ago! But, the Academy made their decision. Brody gets to keep his record. At least, for now.
When news broke out of Timothée Chalamet being set to star as Bob Dylan in January of 2020, several were skeptical about the then 24-year-old. Chalamet himself admitted that he wasn’t incredibly familiar with Dylan’s discography. As most biopic announcements often go, there was backlash from fans of the musician. Many were unconvinced about Chalamet’s singing capabilities, including fellow co-stars such as Oscar Isaac, who shared at the 2024 Gotham Awards that he found it to be a “bad idea” right until he heard Chalamet sing on the set of Dune.
However, Timothée Chalamet did something that no statuette could do. With music, he helped bridge the gap between Gen Z and whatever generation Bob Dylan is from. Please do not tell me. I would like to remain blissfully ignorant. Personally, I took a class on the history of rock music last semester that introduced me to Dylan and Joan Baez a few months before A Complete Unknown was released. But if I hadn’t done this, it would have been Timothée Chalamet and his film that would have accomplished this instead. If my professor didn’t go out of his way to play ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ by Dylan or ‘Diamonds And Rust’ by Baez, I would probably have Timothée Chalamet and A Complete Unknown to thank for showing me such beautiful music.
The power of a fanbase can be found over the top of people on the outside, but it cannot be overstated. Some people are still upset at the Academy over Timothée not winning for Call Me by Your Name back in 2018. But that’s my point! There are so many groups of people who ride for actors like Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and more. Whether it was for Zendaya’s seven minutes of screen time in Dune (2021), or watching a film that could be considered controversial like Nichole Kidman in the 2024 film Babygirl. It doesn’t matter. Dedicated fans enjoy supporting their favorite celebrities by watching their work. Sometimes, fans will purchase a ticket to a movie they know their celebrity crush is in but go in completely unaware of the film’s plot! And there is nothing wrong with that. It can often introduce you to some great, sometimes underground, pieces of work!
Many fans of Timothée Chalamet did this for A Complete Unknown. In fact, I am incredibly grateful for the Timothée Chalamet fanbase (shoutout to Club Chalamet) with a parasocial relationship that has now been exposed to music that they otherwise wouldn’t have cared for. Music they may have felt is too old. Although we know he didn’t win, Timothée Chalamet’s performance served a larger purpose beyond the Oscar race: introducing Gen Z to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. In a way, Timothée Chalamet became a cultural bridge, introducing his fans to music they had never encountered or found engaging otherwise.
His campaign trail was nothing short of extraordinary. Most actors will go on press junkets. An interview for Vogue, attending all the scheduled premieres around the globe, maybe going on the Drew Barrymore show- anything to promote their upcoming projects. Not only did Timmy do this, but it’s almost like he brought Bob Dylan with him. (Not literally, but how cool would that have been!) Chalamet’s influence extended beyond the Oscars and his fanbase as he continued to use his platform in unexpected ways. He was the host AND the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing underrated Dylan songs. When attending premieres, he’s cosplaying as Bob Dylan. (Google it; it’s worth your while.) He made an insane guest appearance on Brittany Broski’s YouTube channel. He went on Instagram Live, dancing shirtless on an empty stage with Bob Dylan playing in the background. Nardwuar interviewed him, and he went on the Theo Von podcast. He stunned fans with his football knowledge on ESPN’s College GameDay. Most of these events have nothing to do with the movie or Bob Dylan himself. And yet, he makes it work.
On February 23, 2025, Chalamet won his first Screen Actors Guild award for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. He became the youngest actor to ever win Best Actor. In his speech, Chalamet confessed that he aspires to be one of the greats. “In pursuit of greatness” is what he said. Many found this to be a little pretentious, but he remains passionate about his work! It was bold by sharing his ambitions. He made a declaration of intent. He brought up artists he’s inspired by, including Marlon Brando, Viola Davis, and Daniel Day-Lewis. While I don’t consider myself to be a big fan of Timothée himself, his work and his relentlessness cannot be understated. He put on 20 pounds to play Dylan. He learned how to play the guitar. He spent approximately five and a half years preparing for the role. As mentioned before, he has been in several projects nominated for Best Picture, and I highly doubt that will slow down in the future. The work was cut out for Chalamet, but ultimately he pulled it off, even snatching an Oscar nomination. In the end, he may not have won the Oscar, but Timothée Chalamet undeniably reshaped the way musical biopics have often been put out, introducing Bob Dylan’s timeless music to a new generation while leaving a mark on Hollywood. It may be too early to say, but this could be Gen Z’s Leonardo Dicaprio. Maybe our Princess Diana.