Mon Dec 30 18:30:00 UTC 2024: ## Elle Fanning Portrays Suze Rotolo in New Bob Dylan Biopic, “A Complete Unknown”

**New York, NY** – A new Bob Dylan biopic, *A Complete Unknown*, starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic musician, features Elle Fanning in a pivotal role as Sylvie Russo, a character closely based on Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s significant other in the early 1960s. While other characters are depicted using their real names, director James Mangold chose to give Rotolo a fictional name, respecting her desire for privacy, a request made by Dylan himself.

Fanning’s Russo serves as the film’s central romantic interest and artistic muse, offering a grounded perspective amidst the whirlwind of Dylan’s burgeoning career. Mangold describes Russo as the film’s “access point,” a relatable figure contrasting with the other eccentric personalities surrounding Dylan.

The film accurately depicts the couple’s initial meeting at a Riverside Church hootenanny in 1961, their subsequent romance, and their move to Greenwich Village. The movie showcases Rotolo’s influence on Dylan, including her introduction of him to left-wing politics, poetry, and the New York art scene, all of which greatly impacted his songwriting and musical evolution. The film highlights Rotolo’s contribution to the creation of *The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan*, even showing the iconic album cover photoshoot.

The film also portrays the couple’s eventual conflicts, mirroring accounts from both Rotolo’s memoir, *A Freewheelin’ Time*, and Dylan’s own *Chronicles: Volume One*. Their disagreements over Dylan’s secrecy, particularly his name change and past, are central to the narrative. A scene featuring a heated argument, with dialogue reportedly contributed by Dylan himself, captures the tension between them.

While the film depicts Russo’s departure for a school trip, mirroring Rotolo’s time studying in Italy, it deviates slightly by omitting her absence from the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The film ultimately shows their complex, passionate, yet ultimately unsustainable relationship, highlighting Rotolo’s essential but often understated role in shaping Dylan’s artistic and personal journey. *A Complete Unknown* promises to offer a fresh perspective on this iconic chapter of Dylan’s life, told through the lens of the woman who profoundly impacted him.

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