In "A Complete Unknown," the great Bob Dylan is presented as a singular force that dominated the Greenwich Village folk scene before becoming an international rock star. But its uniqueness alone is not enough to propel it to such heights. As James Mangold's film shows, his ascent was aided by some pretty important friends and supporters. By Edward Norton Pete Seeger (originally to be played by Benedict Cumberbatch), who defends Timothée Chalamet's Dylan from the moment he arrives in New York, to Elle Fanning's Sylvie Russo (a renamed version of Dylan's then-girlfriend Suze Rutolo), the film is full of supporters who help the rising talent realize his full potential.

Although the film is ostensibly a Bob Dylan biopic (covering only about five years of the musician's life), if you listen to interviews with the cast or Mangold himself, you'll hear how they viewed the project as an "ensemble" film. Indeed, the film is not only concerned with what it's like to be a formidable talent like Dylan, but also with how that immense talent affects those around him. In that sense, Norton, Fanning and the rest of the cast are probably as important as Chalamet himself.

Arguably one of the most important figures in Dylan's early career was Joan Baez, an established artist who covered many of Bob's songs and thereby helped him reach a wider audience. Played in A Complete Unknown by Monica Barbaro ("Fubar"), Baez is further proof that as much as Dylan was and is a singular talent, his rise to stardom was far from an individual effort. Interestingly enough, Barbaro's presence in the film itself seems to be proof that Hollywood is no different from the early '60s folk scene in one very specific way: it's about who you know.

A Complete Unknown goes out of its way not to "explain" Bob Dylan - a wise move by James Mangold who seems to understand the importance of mysticism in Dylan's career. It's also not afraid to portray the musician as, to use Sylvie Russo's phrase from the film, "an a-hole." It's something Monica Barbaro's Joan Baez isn't afraid to point out either, with her version of the beloved folk star dragging Dylan out of her hotel room midway through the film after suffering a little too much from his indulgence.

Barbaro plays Baez as the proud, confident folk icon she was, and in /Film A Complete Unknown Review.Chris Evangelista described the actress as "absolutely radiant" in the role. This is a good thing, too, since none other than Tom Cruise himself vouched for the actor during the casting process.

Yes, it appears Barbaro's Pete Seeger was the Mission: Impossible star who put in a good word for the actor after they appeared together in 2022. return to the danger zone, Top Gun: Maverick. Talking to CinemaBlendBarbaro explained how he fell in love with the role of Joan Baez after hearing about A Complete Unknown, and while he's worked hard to earn his place among the impressive ensemble, it will always count for something when Tom Cruise has your back. The actress said:

“He's also very generous, and he was a mentor to the cast of 'Top Gun: Maverick') and is still available to us. (...) I know he worked with James Mangold and I know he told James he would be a good person to work with, and that means the world to me."

Expanding on her experience of having Tom Cruise's support during the casting of A Complete Unknown, Monica Barbaro claimed that the veteran star actually worked behind the scenes for several of the Top Gun: Maverick cast, saying:

"That's how every industry works (...) For Tom Cruise to reach out is beyond, and I know he did that for a lot of us." And he's just a great resource. I feel like I can ask him anything, He answers, which is crazy, he's also incredibly busy, I don't know why or how he could have time to answer me.

All of which raises the question of how many castings Cruise is responsible for. At least in this case, it succeeds, with Barbaro inhabiting Joan Baez in a way that rivals Timothée Chalamet's subtle but effectively recognizable impersonation of Bob Dylan himself. She also committed to the role in a way that justified her casting with the help of Cruise, explaining feature that she didn't even play guitar before she was dumped and that the extent of her experience with music was that she would "sing in the shower". In the film, however, she matched Chalamet's live performance chops, playing and singing all the songs herself.