James Mangold's Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown was one of the biggest surprises to come from film in 2024. A lot of biopics can oftentimes get caught up in artist flattery without having anything to say or any interesting observations. But Timothee Chalamet brings an honest and dynamic portrayal of Bob Dylan that does well in depicting the fullness of who he is as a person. However, I walked away from the theater most intrigued by Joan Baez. Monica Barbaro thrives in the role, her actions subtle in their motivations. She seemed like a real superstar in the future of Hollywood. It seems like Baez agrees too.
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Recently, Joan spoke with the Marin Independent Journal for an interview. There, she offers her thoughts on A Complete Unknown. Particularly, she tackles Monica Barbaro, best known for her role in Top Gun: Maverick, and her portrayal of the singer. Ultimately, Baez applauds Barbaro's depiction on screen and argues that the movie doesn't quite work without it. "I loved what she did in the film," Joan declares.
"If I didn't think she was good at it, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it in general. But she looked enough like me and she had my gestures down. You could tell who it was. She worked so hard. Kudos to her for taking the role on."
Joan Baez Lauds Monica Barbaro's Depiction of Her in A Complete Unknown
In an interview with Indiewire, Monica emphasized the importance of connecting with Joan in order to get the depiction just right. Additionally, she reveals that Baez wasn't especially concerned with how the film would decide to depict her. Ultimately, she was just happy to help. "I wasn't sure if I should reach out personally," Barbaro prefaces. "I sort of went behind [the production's] back and asked my agents ... she agreed to it, we picked a time. It was professionally done just sort of sneakily so."
"When we spoke on the phone, I was saying something to the effect of deferring to [Joan] on something. She was like, 'I'm just in the backyard, sitting outside, watching the birds.' I was like, yeah, you're not wrapped up in what we say about you. This doesn't define you in any way," Barbaro adds
“And now here are some white boys who are going to try to play the blues”. That would have been highly offensive to the Paul Buttlerfield Blues Band, since two of the band members were black. Not only that, but they had been playing in Chicago alongside the old blues legends for quite some time and had their respect. Lomax was way out of line with his comment.
Mmmm, yeah. But a lot more gaffes than just that. Enough to where you start to feel like your watching Hollywoods dime store version of A great story than what really happened. Screw that it doesn't suit some imagined "continuity". It's Dylan. Tell it like it happened. It's great already without Hwood having to tweak it.
And remember, Those Raybans make Anyone look like Bob. But take em off? Chamalet......B-