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Finally, director James Mangold, who directed A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, has revealed the “Blowin' in the Wind” singer's request for the movie.
Mangold talked about the misinterpreted comments, which came from star Edward Norton, per The Independent. He clarified that Dylan “never asked for some fictional scene to be stuck in the movie.”
The change Dylan had to do with Suze Rotolo, his late ex-girlfriend. In A Complete Unknown, she was renamed Sylvie Russo and was played by Elle Fanning.
“Edward Norton, in an early interview, said that Bob asked for one untrue thing put in, but it was simply he wanted to change the name of his girlfriend from Suze to the character Sylvie Russo, that was it,” Mangold said.
Previously, Norton claimed that Dylan “insisted on [adding] at least one totally inaccurate scene” in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Luckily, it does not sound like A Complete Unknown had a fabricated scene. Fans can watch the movie without trying to figure out what scene was a figment of Dylan's imagination.
A Complete Unknown has been a hit for director James Mangold. It has grossed nearly $90 million worldwide at the box office so far in its theatrical run. It opened on December 25, 2024, and made $11.6 million during its domestic opening weekend.
The Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown
A Complete Unknown depicts Bob Dylan's (played by Timothée Chalamet) rise in the folk scene. He moves to New York City to meet his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy).
Another folk singer, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), takes him under his wing upon meeting Dylan. He helps launch his career, which quickly takes off.
Around this time, Dylan starts a relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). She supported him from the beginning of his career before he became the legend he became.
As his profile rises, Dylan meets another star, Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). This complicates his relationship with Sylvie, and that love triangle is shown in the movie.
Additionally, he begins evolving past folk music, leaning into electrically-amplified music. Dylan begins the change with his Bringing It All Back Home and continues in Highway 61 Revisited.
This leads to his infamous set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Dylan performed rock songs like “Maggie's Farm” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” where the biopic's title comes from.
In addition to its box office success, A Complete Unknown has been a critical hit as well. It is up for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Mangold), and Best Actor (Chalamet). The ceremony takes place on March 2, 2025, so the cast and crew only have to wait a few more weeks to see what they win.
Previously, Mangold directed a Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, starring Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix also earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance.
In A Complete Unknown, Cash is played by Boyd Holbrook, who has starred in several of Mangold's movies. He previously starred in Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, playing villains in both projects.
