Mickey Rourke raised eyebrows with a cryptic Instagram post seemingly criticizing a portrayal of Bob Dylan just days before Timothée Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown hits theaters. The 72-year-old actor shared a photo of the iconic musician on December 23, accompanied by candid comments.
“Bob Dlan was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met,” Rourke wrote. “But whoever was the actor who played Bob Dylan in ‘Portrain Bob Dylan,’ the actor really sucked. Mickey, Dima & kids wuffwuffwuff.” While Rourke did not mention Chalamet by name, his post comes just ahead of the 28-year-old actor’s portrayal of Dylan in the highly anticipated biopic, premiering on Christmas Day.
Chalamet’s performance as Dylan spans the musician’s early career in 1960s New York to his electrifying 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance. Dylan himself has expressed enthusiasm for the casting, calling Chalamet “brilliant” in a social media post earlier this month. “Timmy’s a brilliant actor, so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me,” Dylan wrote, also praising the film’s adaptation of Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric.
Chalamet, who underwent vocal and guitar training for the role, described it as “the most unique challenge I’ve taken on” in a recent Apple Music interview. Responding to Dylan’s praise, he shared his gratitude, saying, “Floored. I am so grateful. Thank you, Bob.”
Interestingly, Dylan has praised Rourke’s acting in the past, citing his performance in Homeboy as an inspiration for his album Oh Mercy. However, Rourke’s latest remarks have sparked speculation and debate ahead of Chalamet’s debut as Dylan.
Us Weekly has reached out to Rourke’s team for clarification. A Complete Unknown premieres in theaters on December 25.
