Boyd Holbrook’s Johnny Cash Steals ‘A Complete Unknown’

The first rumors about James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown rightly centered around a great performance from Timothée Chalamet and an exciting discovery in Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez.

But hidden in this story of Dylan’s instant success and his controversial decision to use electric guitars in the mid-’60s is a dark horse: an unrecognizable Boyd Holbrook playing Johnny Cash like you’ve never seen him before.

The star of “Narcos,” “Logan” and “The Bikeriders” portrays a young Cash who comes into Dylan’s life as a fan and perhaps an older brother – a cheeky dog ​​who isn’t afraid to express his admiration for Dylan’s resonance bring poetry and unusual sound. They interact primarily during the film’s centerpiece scene, a recreation of the Newport Folk Festival where Dylan captured hearts and later alienated a loyal band of music fans loyal to acoustic sounds.

Holbrook is a scene-stealer who portrays Cash as a rebellious heartthrob looking for a stiff drink and a good time. With a prosthetic nose and matinee idol hair, Holbrook gets all the laughs and provides the oxygen needed in a story about inner artistic struggles. diversity caught up with the actor to talk about his transformation, his experience with Chalamet, and the best drunken performance we’ve seen in years.

After “Logan” and the most recent “Indiana Jones,” this is your third time working with James Mangold. Does he just call you now and tell you to come to set?

When Jim asked me to play the Johnny Cash role, I was discouraged. I had looked at other parts of the script. The working title was “Going Electric”. I called him and said, “Hey, if this other actor drops out, I’d like to step in.” That version of the film was pushed forward and lo and behold, he asked me to play the Cash role, which wasn’t in the original script .

Was there pressure knowing that Mangold had made the definitive Johnny Cash film with Walk the Line?

When Jim made Walk the Line with Joaquin’s great performance, he didn’t know the relationship between Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. John had lost those letters between them. Cash reached out to Bob, a 30-year-old man writing to a 20-year-old kid, as a fan. It wasn’t until he was working on this new script that he realized Bob Dylan had these letters.

You look almost unrecognizable in this film. Are you making a prosthesis for the first time?

Oscar Isaac just said the same thing to me. But yes, it was a (prosthetic) nose. I started by shooting 10 pounds. underweight because this time in John’s life would have been his amphetamine (era). Jim took one look at me and told me to gain at least 8 pounds, but we decided we needed something to round out my face. But a little nose goes a long way. That’s what I want to do: play fantasy at the highest level. And the artists that Jim puts together are so incredible.

There’s also this very specific Johnny Cash voice.

I took two interviews he did on Pete Seeger’s show, took these very short clips of him doing tangents and memorized them verbatim to understand the rhythm. I also used some crazy breathing techniques to hollow out my body. I didn’t come here as a guitar player. I could play a few chords, but I couldn’t count notes or give you a rhythm stop. Last year’s strikes gave me a little more time, about four months, to prepare.

When you point the guitar at the crowd like a weapon, everyone loses their temper – in the film and at the screening I attended.

He loved doing that shit. It’s a signature move. I trained hard to get the timing right. The week we filmed the Newport Folk Festival, I sent the production a recording of where I was musically. They told me they wanted it just like Johnny did it that day. I had to increase the speed from 100% to 160% to speed things up. That’s what I love about acting. You sign the contract and you have to show up that day and win or you’ll be eaten alive. I felt the same way when I saw Timmy accomplish this feat and sing all those songs live. And Monica Barbaro.

She is incredible at this.

She’s so stoic, my God, and like a blooming flower. But Timmy, man, his live singing is such a “Fuck you!” to everyone who insisted this fail. He doubled down and made it undeniable. That’s a lot of balls, man. And that’s what the script is about. How do you keep your voice in a commercial machine? Bob was just an artist who made these songs about what was going on in the world, and then it became a business. You can choose the path of least resistance or rip some shit to shreds.

You also have an incredible scene where you play drunk as Johnny Cash. I think it was the director of Breakfast at Tiffany’s who told his extras that the best way to act drunk was to desperately try to appear sober.

Thanks, man. That was a lot of fun. There’s a line I say in that scene: “I was driving the car and I saw the ocean.” I really understood the tone of his shittiness in that line. He tries to give it a lot more depth. A lot of it was improvised. I drop a Coke bottle and hit a few cars.

You pull out a vintage box of bugles. What was in the box?

Bugles. That’s what I’m talking about, with the kind of people Jim hires.

Did everything you shot as Johnny make it into the film?

No, there was an introductory scene. I’m stumbling out of a bar with a few people after a show and Bob’s music is playing from a car. Johnny gets in the car and turns it on. After his friends pull him out, the people inside say, “Was that Johnny Cash?”

What was the most surprising thing about working with Timmy?

We met at the table and read and were very excited to work together, but we only entertained ourselves while filming our scenes. Honestly, I like it that way. I want to talk and hang out, but at one point he even said to me, “When this is over, it’s over.” We focused on our work and wanted to get through it. It made us more precise and dialed in.

Does James do a lot of takes?

He likes to only shoot a few scenes a day. Maybe one or two so you have plenty of time to figure things out and have an adventure like (my) drunken scene. Nothing escapes him. But it’s not like Fincher. You do 10 setups per day and 10 takes per setup.

Who do you think is today’s Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash?

Tyler Childers. I might be biased because he is from my region. He’s great. Colter Wall is a poet and cowboy. Thank goodness they still make them that way. I love Sturgill Simpson. He does a lot of acting now.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the fourth season of The Morning Show.

Oh, fantastic. What is your role?

I’m part of the merger where I’m the number one podcaster on this streamer. The character is a mix of Joe Rogan and Russell Brand. I have no editorial control and can say whatever I want about the Second Amendment and the First Amendment. I push for supplements.

Who do you mainly shoot the scenes with?

Jennifer Aniston. And what can I say? She is perfect.