When Saturday Evening Reside introduced that Timothée Chalamet could be each the host and musical visitor on this week’s episode, the response was largely: huh?
What would Chalamet, a talented actor not normally referred to as a musical artist, carry out? Would he revive his high-school rap alias Lil Timmy Tim? Reprise his function as Willy Wonka? Or would he simply sing Bob Dylan songs, contemplating he has been on an extended promotional tour for his flip as the folks artist within the biopic A Full Unknown? Would he come out strumming hits equivalent to “Blowin’ within the Wind”?
He did sing Dylan songs final night time—however notably, he didn’t function the preferred stuff. Chalamet’s musical numbers have been impressed interpretations of Dylan deep cuts, together with “Three Angels” and “Tomorrow Is a Lengthy Time.” His performances have been bizarre, good, and entertaining, and a method to present those who his dedication to Dylan has been severe.
Chalamet’s internet hosting stint was clearly strategic. Oscar nominations got here out on Thursday, and his title was referred to as as anticipated, making him, at 29, the youngest two-time nominee for the Finest Actor class since James Dean. Chalamet highlighted the achievement in his monologue, explaining that he was in his SNL dressing room when he heard the information. “The complete artistic workforce labored extraordinarily arduous bringing to life the sensible artist Bob Dylan, a person whose music and profession has change into a guiding mild to me,” he mentioned, earnestly. No jokes might be present in that assertion, which sounded just like the sort of factor you’d say on the stage of the Dolby Theatre, holding a trophy.
However as Chalamet would rapidly remind viewers: Though his work has been praised fairly a bit for somebody who has but to hit 30, he additionally hasn’t gained all that many awards. “I simply preserve shedding,” he mentioned. “And every time, it will get tougher to faux it doesn’t sting.” That prompted a montage of Chalamet at varied awards exhibits listening to the likes of Gary Oldman and Mahershala Ali get their title referred to as as an alternative of him, his angular face barely masking disappointment by the tip. He instructed the SNL viewers that he would use this internet hosting alternative to offer the acceptance speech he’d been carrying round and handed an envelope to an individual seated within the viewers to announce his title. Nevertheless, that was a arrange for one more joke: The winner contained in the envelope was not Chalamet however the forged member Kenan Thompson. Nonetheless the monologue had a honest tone total; Chalamet, relatively than seeming like a sore loser, cannily offered himself as an underdog.
Within the episode’s sketches, Chalamet was an enthusiastic participant (as he has been the previous two occasions he’s hosted), throwing himself into characters together with a very enthusiastic bungee-fitness teacher, a nurse who does CPR by farting on faces, and a canine at a park assembly different pups. Although these have been proficient moments of comedy, the 2 musical units have been the place he actually confirmed off.
He didn’t play the well-known songs that seem in A Full Unknown, which tracks Dylan’s emergence within the Nineteen Sixties people scene. As an alternative, Chalamet pulled out what he referred to as his “private favorites”—and revealed decisions that enchantment to Dylan fanatics relatively than informal listeners.
He first sang a medley of “Outlaw Blues,” off the 1965 album Bringing It All Again Dwelling, and “Three Angels,” from 1970’s New Morning, every rendition receiving its personal elaborate, deliberate manufacturing that proved this was no half-hearted effort. He wore huge, bug-eyed sun shades through the extra upbeat “Outlaw Blues,” rocking and dancing throughout the stage as lights flashed to the tune. For the latter music he sat down subsequent to the electro-pop artist James Blake, who backed him up with vocals and keys, and slowed down, reciting the music as if it have been a poem. Through the second musical break, Chalamet, perched on a stool, demonstrated his acoustic-guitar-strumming approach on “Tomorrow Is a Lengthy Time,” a Dylan music generally related to its Elvis Presley cowl.
When an actor portrays a famend musician in a film, it’s not a on condition that they’ve precise musical expertise. Chalamet’s promotional tour for A Full Unknown emphasised the truth that he carried out all its songs himself; even that, nevertheless, might be written off as pure mimicry. Merely imitating Dylan didn’t appear to be Chalamet’s intention on SNL, nevertheless. The actor offered his personal interpretations of Dylan’s music, melding the Nobel Prize winner’s artistry with Chalamet’s personal streetwear-influenced model and extra modern musical tastes—as evidenced by the presence of Blake’s signature wail.
For anybody who was questioning Chalamet’s dedication to enjoying Dylan—together with potential Oscar voters—the night time was proof that the actor’s engagement with the musician went past the pure confines of the cinematic function. And for individuals who thought that Chalamet doing double responsibility on SNL may be a joke, the considerate means through which he approached his job as musical visitor might have quieted any doubt. Not solely did he pay respect to Dylan; he made clear that he can placed on a present that’s all his personal.
