Joan Baez “not fussed” about ‘A Complete Unknown’, according to Monica Barbero

Posted On December 30, 2024December 30, 2024

Monica Barbaro, who stars as folk singer Joan Baez in the recently released Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, has claimed Baez was “not fussed” by the film’s production.

Barbaro, who has been receiving praise for her portrayal of Baez, said that she had been given the opportunity to speak to the singer by phone prior to shooting some of her scenes in the movie, but that she seemed unbothered by the nature of the film.

Baez’s role is crucial to the film, which focuses on the early parts of Dylan’s career. The singer-songwriter was a contemporary of Dylan’s and a romantic interest. The couple initially met in Greenwich Village in 1961 and regularly wrote songs for and about each other throughout their early careers.

However, in an interview with The Guardian, Barbaro revealed that she seemed more excited about the production than Baez did. “I think I was more concerned on her behalf than she was for herself,” she told the newspaper. “I was sort of saying: you deserve your own biopic! So many biopics with different chapters of your life!”

The 83-year-old singer’s response was humble, telling Barbaro, “I’m just sitting in my back yard watching the birds. I lived it, I did it.”

Barbaro reported that hearing Baez speak now, having studied her speaking voice during the 1960s in preparation, was “an incredibly emotional experience: really cool and kind of mind-blowing.”

“I struggled with this feeling of just so much gratitude for everything she’s done,” she continued. “For being willing to speak to me, and how much I admire her.”

The actor also revealed that prior to accepting her role, she had not experienced much of a deep relationship with folk music and that preparing for scenes where she would have to perform Baez’s songs was among the trickiest parts of the production.

A Complete Unknown, which also stars Timothée Chalamet in the starring role of Bob Dylan and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, has performed well at the box office in the US, collecting an estimated $23 million in its first week, having hit cinemas on December 25th.

The film is expected to perform well during the upcoming awards season. It is already in the running for three categories at the Golden Globes and is projected to receive many more nominations for other awards, such as the Academy Awards.

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