Timothée Chalamet has revealed he spent “over six figures” of his own money to perform Bob Dylan songs during his recent appearance on Saturday Night Live.
While conversing with Q&A at London’s Prince Charles Cinema on Sunday, February 1, the Marty Supreme star reflected on his flair for high-profile appearances that reference the roles he is promoting.
"I really don’t look at it as promotion or marketing. I see myself as an artist expanding,” Chalamet, 30, said, according to Variety, adding, "I feel like I'm expressing myself ... I feel like I’ve got the keys, I’ve got the right attitude, I’ve got the juice.”
That approach was on display during Chalamet’s January 2025 Saturday Night Live double-duty appearance, where he channelled Bob Dylan — whom he played in A Complete Unknown — performing favourites including “Outlaw Blues,” “Three Angels” and “Tomorrow Is a Long Time.”
He later revealed the performance almost didn’t happen, saying he had to push SNL creator Lorne Michaels to secure the slot.
“I spent over six figures out of my pocket to do the SNL performance,” Chalamet said.
He continued, “Lorne Michaels said, ‘Hey, do you want to host SNL?’ I said, ‘Yeah, can I do the music?’ He’s like, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Alright, I’m not doing it.’ He said, ‘okay, do the music.’ But I refused to take no for an answer.”
Chalamet's performance as Dylan in A Complete Unknown led to the actor's first Grammy nomination, for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
