Bob Dylan really wanted me to know how lonely it is being a solo performer, says ‘A Complete Unknown’ biopic director
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TO borrow the title of a Bob Dylan song, it was a case of “one more cup of coffee” for the film director. (Or perhaps not, as you’ll see.). When James Mangold got stuck into making his biopic A Complete Unknown, focusing on Dylan’s transition from folkie to rock star, there was one person he needed to talk to above all others.
![[Movie still of Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, smoking a cigarette.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/movie-still-964135443.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The notoriously elusive singer himself. To his great joy and relief, his wish was granted in 2020 during the Covid lockdowns — with strict social distancing rules applied, of course. The first of several meetings between filmmaker and music legend was arranged in Santa Monica, a few miles along America’s West Coast from Dylan’s home in Malibu.
![[Black and white photo of Bob Dylan and his band performing at the Newport Folk Festival.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/b38f8311-e882-4271-bb2f-70a25fefbcf8_9ecbef.jpg?strip=all&w=579)
“We were in a shut-down coffee shop — just me and him,” recalls Mangold. As a lifelong Dylan devotee, I find myself asking, “How did Bob take his coffee?” and instantly regretting it. A commanding yet warm presence, Mangold sees the funny side, laughing before replying: “I don’t know. I’m not even sure he had one.”.
![[James Mangold directing Timothée Chalamet playing guitar in a recording studio.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/director-james-mangold-timoth-e-963499194.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Then he adds in a more serious vein: “Bob was very kind and very open. It was joyous and he was charming. “I’m sure he was trying to feel me out in terms of whether I had some sort of agenda, which in a sense I did not — other than a pure one which was to explore the story truthfully.”.
![[Bob Dylan at the 53rd Grammy Awards.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/exclusive-coverage-bob-dylan-attends-831689630.jpg?strip=all&w=603)
