A Complete Unknown: Why Johnny Cash Was Important To Bob Dylan's Story Explained By Director James Mangold

A Complete Unknown director James Mangold has explained why it was so important to include Johnny Cash as a central figure in his new Bob Dylan biopic. Based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, Mangold’s latest biographical drama features Dune’s Timothée Chalamet as a young Dylan throughout his early career as a folk singer, and charts the controversy that arose from his eventual switch to electric guitars. Having previously covered the life of Cash in his 2005 biopic Walk the Line, Mangold has now cast his frequent collaborator Boyd Holbrook as his latest onscreen Man in Black.

Speaking with Forbes ahead of A Complete Unknown’s US release, Mangold explains why it was important to return to Cash after having already told his story with Joaquin Phoenix in the role. Suggesting that the deeper he delved into Dylan’s story, it became apparent that Cash needed to play a key role as a figure that Dylan admired and wished to emulate. Moreover, Mangold also suggests that the Cash depicted in his latest movie is a much later version of the character, compared to the largely origin-focused tale told in Walk the Line. Check out his comments below:

The deeper I got into working on the script, the clearer it was that he played a huge role, representing and modeling a point of view because Johnny had a band. One of my favorite moments in this movie is almost a silent one, as Johnny Cash takes the stage for the first time in Newport in 1964. This shot follows Johnny and the Tennessee Three out onto the stage, and you hear their boots against the wood planking of the stage. The camera pans and finds Bob; he's looking at them with adoration and admiration as the band files by, and it was an attempt to capture exactly what Bob described to me, which was the yearning for that kind of camaraderie, to be on a team, to maybe the leader of a team where you went out, and you did a job together. That was the dominating reason I felt Johnny had to be a part of the movie despite the fact I had already made a movie about him. In a weird way, as a writer and director, everyone's so aware of branding in their career, and I try not to be aware of it at all. I needed Johnny Cash in this movie. It occurred to me, 'Wow, I did that already,' but then I returned to brass tacks and said, 'I need him in this movie because he plays a significant role.' The part of his life we're playing is slightly different in that Walk the Line was mostly an origin story. Boyd is someone who I've worked with multiple times. I think he's an incredible actor. Because we're just focusing on him in his later period, we would get these two sides of Johnny, both of which were real. Bob also sees a slight cautionary tale about stardom, its loneliness, and the fact that that problem doesn't necessarily get solved just by having a band.

Holbrook Has Enormous Shoes To Fill

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Ranked high among Phoenix’s vast list of critically acclaimed performances, 2005’s Walk the Line was widely praised by audiences and critics alike. It would also go on to earn its star a slew of award nominations and other accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe win for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. As such, Holbrook certainly has his work cut out for him, following in Phoenix’s footsteps.

Related 10 Bob Dylan Movies To Watch Before A Complete Unknown Across documentaries, feature films, and experimental releases, there are plenty of great Bob Dylan movies to check out before A Complete Unknown.

While Holbrook is said to be playing Cash at a much later point in his career than that which formed the focus of Mangold’s previous musical biopic, comparisons between the two versions of the character are largely inevitable. However, Mangold’s assertion that audiences will get to see a different side of his character compared to Phoenix’s version may serve to work in the film’s favor, while also ensuring the movie's focus remains firmly fixated on Chalamet’s Dylan.

Our Take On Mangold Recasting Johnny Cash With Holbrook

Not Bringing Pheonix Back Was The Right Move

Given the overwhelming response to Phoenix’s tenure as Cash in Walk the Line, many audience members may wonder why Mangold did not seize the opportunity to have his former leading man return for this latest film. However, not only is Phoenix now too old to play a convincing Johnny Cash during the early 1960s, but the gimmicky nature of his return likely would have significantly detracted from the tale Mangold wished to tell.

Previously admitting that he is no fan of “multi-movie universe-building,” despite his ongoing participation in some of pop culture’s biggest franchises, Mangold appears to have approached A Complete Unknown as a completely separate project and had no inclination toward building tenuous connections with his earlier film. Indeed, this approach seems to be paying off well, with early reviews already generating considerable Oscar buzz for the film and its performances.

Source: Forbes