Timothée Chalamet has revealed that he spent “six figures” of his own money to perform Bob Dylan songs on Saturday Night Live.
The actor pulled double duty on the huge US variety show early last year, when he both hosted and performed as the musical guest.
He played three Dylan tracks – ‘Outlaw Blues’, ‘Three Angels’ and ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’ – to promote 2025 biopic A Complete Unknown, in which he stars as the legendary singer-songwriter.
Chalamet was backed by a full live band on his episode of SNL, with James Blake playing keys.
During a recent Q&A in London, the actor recalled SNL creator/producer Lorne Michaels approaching him to return as host for a third time. Chalamet agreed, on the condition that he could be the musical guest as well.
“I said, ‘Yeah, can I do the music?’,” he said (via Consequence). “He’s like, ‘No’. I said, ‘Alright, I’m not doing it’. He said, ‘OK, do the music’.”
Chalamet added: “I spent over six figures out of my pocket to do the SNL performance.”
He did not elaborate on how the live outing ended up setting him back at least $100,000 (£73,213). The hefty sum was perhaps due to music rights, as the three deep cuts Chalamet played were not featured in A Complete Unknown.
It could include fees for the live musicians on stage, too, as well as expenses such as travel, accommodation and rehearsal time.
Chalamet reportedly made the comments when talking about how he was willing to go the extra mile when out on press tours for his films. When promoting A24’s Marty Supreme, the actor sent out branded jackets to celebrities he considered to be “great”, including unlikely recipient Susan Boyle. He also wore some of the pieces himself during interviews.
The Dylan performance on Saturday Night Live came shortly after Chalamet earned two Best Picture nominations at the Oscars 2025 with A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two. He also received a Best Actor nomination himself for his portrayal of Dylan. However, Chalamet did not win any awards at last year’s ceremony.
For 2026, he is up for Best Actor again with Marty Supreme. The film is in the running for nine Oscars overall, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Casting. This year’s ceremony takes place on March 15.
Chalamet picked up his first Golden Globe last month for Best Lead Male Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Marty Supreme.
Last December, Chalamet teamed up with rising UK rapper EsDeeKid on a new collab, ending rumours that the artist was actually the actor in disguise.
