Chalamet as Dylan? Electric Fetus customers weigh in

Minnesotan fans of Timothée Chalamet were ecstatic to say the least after word spread that the celebrity actor made a surprise visit to speak with drama students at Bob Dylan’s alma mater, Hibbing High School.

But how do fans of the Minnesota native and authentic musical legend feel about Chalamet playing the role of the singer-songwriter in an upcoming biopic? And, maybe more importantly, do they think it’s a good idea for him to sing and emulate Dylan’s unique voice? (Dylan, for the record, seems to be OK with it, as he’s an executive producer on the project.)

The Star Tribune interviewed shoppers and an employee at the Electric Fetus record store in Minneapolis for some takes. Some had little to no knowledge of Chalamet, who’s starred in recent films including “Wonka” and “Dune.” Some were avid Dylan fans, some weren’t. Here are a few verdicts:

Emma Price, 23, said she’s withholding judgement until she sees the movie. But she does think there’s a physical resemblance.

“He’s got the look, maybe, for young Bob Dylan, but I fully don’t understand the breadth of [Chalamet’s] acting yet; it’s seemingly random,” Price said.

Jim Novak, the music buyer for Electric Fetus, also said he thinks Chalamet looks the part of a young Dylan, who high-tailed it out of Minneapolis for New York City in the early 1960s. Novak was less convinced that Chalamet, 28, would pass as Dylan if the movie extends past the 1980s.

“I totally think he can pull it off, especially young Dylan, and with minimal makeup,” Novak said.

Novak described Dylan’s voice as “an easy voice to do but a hard voice to do well.”

“Anybody can get that nasally tone, but to make it really have the gravitas and the way he used it, is the hard part,” Novak said. Ultimately, he said, he thinks the way Dylan’s story is portrayed will be more important than the actor chosen to play him.

Both Novak and customer Patrick Barry said it will be important to capture Dylan’s personality. The Nobel laureate, who unlike fellow native Prince never much embraced his Minnesota roots, has a longstanding reputation as a prickly type of guy.

Barry, 42, from Minneapolis, said he respected Chalamet for taking on the role.

“Regardless of the outcome, I appreciate the effort and the art of that,” he saidt.

The plan for the film, titled ‘A Complete Unknown’ (taken from the lyrics of Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”), is that Chalamet will sing the songs himself rather than lip-syncing to dubbed-over tracks.

Henry Ramos, 22, said musician biopics should use the original audio.

“I never understood why they would have them sing when they have the actual recording,” Ramos said. “Dub it over with the actual stuff, I feel like that would work.”