Timothée Chalamet is quite literally going electric. Today, the actor arrived via e-bike to the London premiere of his new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. The stunt seemed to be a very tongue-in-cheek reference to Dylan’s famous 1965 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival when he performed with an electric band after years of using only acoustic instruments.
Keeping with all things eclectic and electric, Chalamet’s suit was custom designed by Martine Rose, one of London’s favorite boundry-pushing menswear designers. He wore a shrunken double-breasted blazer with exagerated shoulders over a paterened floral shirt. A little peak of a ribbed undershirt was visible underneath.
The actor caused a frenzy upon his arrival, pedaling out to the center of the red carpet on his heavily-branded ride, dismounting it, and momentarily struggling to secure its kickstand. Chalamet then grabbed his phone (probably to end his ride on the bike-share app) and began posing for photos. It’s still unclear whether Chalamet arrived to the premiere venue via bike or had one waiting for him there.
Although it would be very much like Timmy to make a case for sustainable transit, it’s safe to assume he was participating in some sort of ironic method acting here. Dylan, a pioneer of the American folk music revival, caused controversy in the mid-1960s over his decision to “go electric.” Dylan’s Newport festival performance, which is emphasized heavily in A Complete Unknown, was met with audience boos and ire from the folk community at the time. The James Mangold film is also heavily based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!
This isn’t Chalamet’s first time channeling his inner Dylan during the A Complete Unknown press tour. For the film’s New York premiere, he re-created Dylan’s infamous Sundance Film Festival look from 2003—streaked blonde hair and all. He’ll also perform as Dylan on an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live.
Chalamet’s latest “method” moment is not only fitting for the movie he stars in, but also for someone who grew up in New York City where Citi bikes are as common as any mid-size SUV. You can take the boy out of the Lower East Side, but you can’t take the Lower East Side out of the boy.
