Why Timothée Chalamet Gained 20 Pounds for A Complete Unknown

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Why Timothée Chalamet Gained 20 Pounds to Play Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown

When it comes to his work, Timothée Chalamet’s appearance is like a rolling stone.

The Complete Unknown star, who was nominated for his second Academy Award for his role in the Bob Dylan biopic, recently revealed that he was totally committed to playing the musician, even gaining a decent amount of weight.

“I’ve turned over every stone,” Timothée said Jan. 20 on NPR’s All Things Considered podcast. “I did all the work, like you just described, physicality, behavior-wise. But something we haven’t really talked about, I also put on 20 pounds because, believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy.”

But embodying the “Blowin’ In The Wind” singer isn’t the first time that the 29-year-old—who is dating Kylie Jenner—has had to consider his weight in his work.

“If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent, things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up,” Timothée explained on The Zane Lowe Interview Series in November, “the feedback was always, ‘Oh, you don’t have the right body.’ I had an agent that called me and said, ‘You got to put on weight,’ basically—not aggressively, but you know.”

And while he didn’t appear in either of those sagas, Timmy—who also learned to sing and play both the guitar and harmonica for A Complete Unknown—is no stranger to committing his entire life to a role.

Last month, he attended the New York City premiere of the Bob Dylan pic transformed into a past look of the singer, most notably sporting straight blonde hair beneath a heather blue beanie. He also rocked a black leather jacket and black-and-white plaid scarf that matched the previous look. To premieres of the movie in other cities, he has been similarly committed to channeling Bob.

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For another role, Timothée was spotted in September filming an upcoming Josh Safdie project Marty Supreme in a completely different style. While walking the New York City street, he debuted his now-notable mustache and sported a ‘50s-style ‘fit.

Read on to see more stars who, like Timothée, made major transformations for a role.

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Timothée Chalamet

For his Oscar-nominated role as musician Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, the Dune actor learned how to sing and play guitar.

"I also put on 20 pounds," he said during a January 2025 episode NPR’s All Things Considered podcast, "because, believe it or not, I was thinner than the guy.”

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Cillian Murphy

To play scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, the Irish actor "had to lose quite a bit of weight," he shared. "He was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes." His diet? According to costar Emily Blunt, "He had such a monumental undertaking.And he could only eat, like, an almond every day."

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Joaquin Phoenix

For his Joker role, the Oscar winner opened up about his 52-pound weight loss, telling the Associated Press, "Once you reach the target weight, everything changes. Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder."

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J.K. Simmons

The Spider-Man alum shocked fans when he debuted his bulging biceps, which were displayed in Justice League.

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Jake Gyllenhaal

"I'd say my mother was worried," he previously told E! News after losing 30 pounds for Nightcrawler. "I would say she just wanted me to be careful. But she also knew and knows how seriously I take what I do and she respects that."

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Michael B. Jordan

The Black Panther star gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle to transform into a rookie-turned-professional boxer in Creed.

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Jared Leto

The actor and musician nabbed an Oscar for his riveting role in The Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 40 pounds for the role.

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Chris Messina

The Mindy Project alum had to gain 40 pounds for his role in Live by Night.

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Renée Zellweger

The Bridget Jones's Diary actress gained weight to portray the lovable character in the franchise's first and second films.

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Matthew McConaughey

The Magic Mike hunk dropped 30 pounds to star in The Dallas Buyer's Club—which centered on the real-life story about a man dying from AIDS in the 1980s who treated himself with alternative remedies he smuggled into the United States from Mexico.

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Rooney Mara

The actress looked lean and strong for her starring role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

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Anne Hathaway

The Les Misérables star took home an Oscar for her role in the musical.

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Christian Bale

He's no stranger to morphing for movie roles. In 2004, he lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, and he did it again for the film The Fighter, opposite Mark Wahlberg. He also gained 40 pounds for American Hustle—and lost 70 pounds for Ford v Ferrari.

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Jake Gyllenhaal (Again)

The actor looked more like a god than a prince for his role in 2010's Prince of Persia. Gyllenhaal said he studied Parkour, the French art of street running, in order to bulk up for the film.

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Tom Hanks

"All it is is time and discipline," the Oscar winner told Time magazine of his role in 2000's Cast Away, for which he lost over 50 pounds to play a man stranded on an uninhabited island.

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50 Cent

The ripped rapper shocked fans with a photo of himself looking slender. He reportedly went from 214 to 160 pounds in just nine weeks to play a football player diagnosed with cancer in Things Fall Apart.

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Robert De Niro

Shaping up for movie roles is nothing new. The legendary actor earned an Oscar nom for his role as terrifying tattooed rapist Max Cady in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear.

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