Joan Baez, the Legend That You Are
The folk singer and activist had an iconic response when Monica Barbaro expressed remorse for taking part in the Bob Dylan biopic in which Baez is only a supporting character.
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On Monday, Rolling Stone revealed Timothee Chalamet as its December cover star just in time for the release of A Complete Unknown, the biographical drama in which he stars as Bob Dylan. I’ll be frank: if you don’t care how the sausage is made, the story is a bit boring. In fairness, it’s not the journalist’s fault. All Chalamet seemed willing to speak about at length was his process and his previous aspirations of becoming a rapper. In other words, if you’re hoping for an answer as to what he and Kylie Jenner talk about, you’ll have to keep using your imagination.
The irony of the story—much like that of the famed folk singer, if you asked me—is that nothing Chalamet said about Dylan (who never met with Chalamet) really stuck. Instead, it’s his co-star, Monica Barbaro, who portrays Joan Baez, who made the most interesting contributions.
Barbaro told Rolling Stone that she reached out to Baez after having reoccurring dreams about meeting her: “I was so immersed in research, and it still felt like there was something missing in not approaching her. It just felt like there needed to be a connection made.” I mean, makes sense! If you’re playing a living legend, one would assume the only logical thing to do is to instigate a chat and pick their brain.