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What Timmy wants, Timmy gets.
Timothée Chalamet revealed that promoting his Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” on “Saturday Night Live” last year was not a cheap gig.
“I spent over six figures out of my pocket to do the ‘SNL’ performance,” the actor, 30, said during a conversation with filmmaker Richard Curtis at London’s Prince Charles Cinema on Saturday.
“Lorne Michaels said, ‘Hey, do you want to host ‘SNL’?’ I said, ‘Yeah, can I do the music?’” Chalamet recalled. “He said, ‘No.’ I was like, ‘Alright, I’m not doing it.’ He said, ‘OK, do the music.’ But I refused to take no for an answer.”
The Oscar nominee added, “This is the new way of doing stuff. I’m trying to reach audiences, you know. I don’t want to be in the pretentious in-crowd.”
Chalamet played double duty as host and musical guest on the Jan. 25, 2025 episode of “SNL.” He sang three of Dylan’s songs: “Outlaw Blues,” “Three Angels,” and “Tomorrow Is a Long Time.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Chalamet covered production expenses for his performances, including the band and construction of a set. The artists’ record label typically covers those costs, per the outlet.
The Post has reached out to reps for “SNL” for comment.
Chalamet’s portrayal as the legendary folk music singer in “A Complete Unknown” earned him a SAG Award and nominations for a Golden Globe Award, Academy Award and Grammy Award.
He spent five years preparing to play Dylan, which involved working with a vocal coach, a guitar teacher, a dialect coach, a movement coach and a harmonica guy, according to an interview he did last year with Rolling Stone.
“I give 170% in everything I’m doing. I’m giving it my all,” he said on “60 Minutes” in 2025. “Something like the Dylan project, these aren’t watered-down experiences. I’m going Daniel Day-Lewis on all of them. I’m not saying in process, but I’m saying a level of commitment.”
Chalamet is now focused on promoting “Marty Supreme,” in which he plays an aspiring ping pong champion. He’s already won a Golden Globe Award and a Critics Choice Award and is the frontrunner to win Best Actor at the Oscars next month.
During his conversation with Curtis, Chalamet spoke about how he’s gone all out for the viral “Marty Supreme” marketing campaign with stunts like turning the Sphere Las Vegas into a giant ping-pong ball, posting a satirical video of a Zoom meeting with A24’s marketing team, and more.
“‘Marty Supreme’ in America had the least frequent moviegoing audience this year — people that weren’t going to see everything,” he shared. “That’s my favorite feedback on the movie. So the most pretentious answer I could give you, which I actually honestly feel, is that it’s not marketing or promotion. That sounds like a gimmick, and this is not a gimmick. This is coming from my heart and my soul.”
“Here’s the thing — this risks killing any mystery around it, but I really don’t look at it as promotion or marketing. I see myself as an artist expanding,” Chalamet continued. “I feel like I’m expressing myself. You know, a lot of people want to be told what to say, how to say it and where to stand — I’m talking on the acting front. Also, people don’t want to misstep. I feel like I’ve got the keys, I’ve got the right attitude, I’ve got the juice.”
English (US)