Director James Mangold’s Oscar-nominated film A Complete Unknown presents a sweeping account of legendary singer Bob Dylan’s rise to fame. Timothée Chalamet gives one of his best performances in A Complete Unknown, but one of the movie’s biggest accomplishments was recreating Dylan’s world in the 1960s. The film shows Dylan’s humble beginnings after traveling to New York City, up until he went electric at his controversial concert at the Newport Folk Festival.

To recreate Dylan’s life story, Mangold sought the help of production designer François Audouy. Together, they sH๏τ most of 2024’s A Complete Unknown in New Jersey, turning the Garden State into several other locations from Dylan’s past. From scenes set in the city to countryside getaways, James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown features many breathtaking and realistic 1960s locations that have made it a beloved musical biopic.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City Was Turned Into Greenwich Village For A Complete Unknown

The majority of A Complete Unknown is set in Bob Dylan’s stomping ground in New York City. However, Jersey City stood in for several locations in New York across the Hudson River. The production team had reportedly set up shop on Jersey Avenue near Van Vorst Park, turning it into 1960s Greenwich Village (via X).

Other New York City landmarks were supposedly recreated in downtown Jersey City, including MacDougal Street, Minetta Tavern, the Gaslight Cage, Café Wha?, and Café Borgia (via ELLE Decor). Many of these locations are where Dylan made a name for himself as a folk singer.

Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken Was Also Used To Film New York Scenes

Along with Jersey City, Hoboken was used by the production team to recreate New York City in the 1960s. For instance, the film shows Chalamet wandering a street reportedly near Church Square Park (via Hoboken Girl). Moran’s Pub at 501 Garden Street stood in for the New York City bar, McAnn’s.

A scene featuring Joan Baez, who was played by Monica Barbaro, walking in front of Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village was supposedly filmed on the corner of 8th and Washington Street, near the Elysian Café (via TAPInto). Likewise, the outside of Bob Dylan’s Greenwich apartment is said to have been filmed on location in Hoboken (via ELLE Decor).

Newark, New Jersey

Woody Guthrie’s Hospital Stay Was Filmed In Newark

Dylan first travels to Graystone Hospital to meet his hero, iconic folk singer Woody Guthrie, who had been living with Huntington’s disease that had left him unable to perform like he used to. There, Dylan also meets his friend/mentor, Pete Seeger, played by Edward Norton, and repeatedly returns to visit Guthrie throughout the film, particularly in the film’s tearjerking finale.

The production team for A Complete Unknown is said to have sH๏τ interior scenes for Graystone Hospital in Newark (via ELLE Decor). While the hospital’s exterior sH๏τs were done at the EsSєx County Hospital Center, the interior sH๏τs were done inside a high school four miles south in Newark.

Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson Is The Site Of Much Excitement In A Complete Unknown

When Dylan and Sylvie start dating in A Complete Unknown, she introduces the former to social activism by taking him to a protest rally for the Civil Rights movement on the streets of New York. This scene was reported to have been sH๏τ in front of the Paterson Mayor’s Office building (via On the Set of New York).

This wasn’t the only scene sH๏τ in Paterson. At one point in the film, Dylan walks out of a building surrounded by his many adoring fans before fleeing into a car. This scene was sH๏τ in front of the First National Bank in Paterson.

Kearny, New Jersey

Bob Dylan’s Apartment Was Really A New Jersey Soundstage

Naturally, A Complete Unknown spends a lot of time with Dylan in his New York City apartment. While its exterior of Dylan’s Greenwich Village home was sH๏τ in Hoboken, the interior was sH๏τ at Palisades Stages in Kearny, New Jersey. The use of a soundstage allowed the filmmakers greater control of what appeared on camera. Thus, set decorator Regina Graves was able to use archival visuals to accurately recreate Dylan’s home for the big screen.

Similarly, the Palisades Stages were used to film scenes set in Columbia Records Studio A. This recording studio is where Dylan and his band made some of their most beloved songs. It is also where Dylan is first shown experimenting with electric instruments in the film.

Blairstown, New Jersey

Pete Seeger’s Home Was Far Away From The City

While A Complete Unknown spent a lot of time following Dylan in the big city, it did travel with him to the countryside at some points in the story. Most notably, Dylan travels with Pete Seeger to the latter’s woodside cabin, where he meets his family early in the story.

The Seegers let Dylan stay with them until he found a place to stay in New York City, first welcoming him into their lives and beginning their longtime relationship. The Seeger’s mid-century wooden cabin was allegedly found in Blairstown, located near the border of Pennsylvania and the Garden State (via ELLE Decor).

Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May Was Transformed Into The Newport Folk Festival

Some of A Complete Unknown‘s most pivotal events took place at the Newport Folk Festival, where Bob Dylan gave some of his most famous and infamous performances as a folk singer. As its name implies, this iconic music event is located in Newport, Rhode Island. However, scenes taking place at the Newport Folk Festival were actually sH๏τ in the seaside community of Cape May in New Jersey.

The Newport H๏τel that Bob Dylan stayed in was reportedly filmed in Cape May’s Victorian Motel (via ELLE Decor). However, the Newport festival grounds were created in Echo Lake Park in Mountainside, New Jersey. The latter is where Timothée Chalamet sang songs like “The Times They Are-A Changin'” and broke out his electric guitar in Dylan’s most controversial concert ever.

New York City, New York

A Complete Unknown Filmed In Real New York

Though cities like Jersey City and Hoboken stood in for New York City for most scenes, A Complete Unknown‘s production team actually sH๏τ in the Big Apple at one point. Specifically, when Bob Dylan is wandering the streets of New York long after his breakup with Sylvie, he ends up at the iconic Chelsea H๏τel, where he spends the night with Joan Baez.

It was reported that this scene was actually sH๏τ in front of the iconic Chelsea H๏τel (via CN Traveller). In addition, the scene where Pete Seeger is in a courthouse and starts performing for people on the front steps is said to have been filmed in the New York County Supreme Courthouse in Manhattan (via On the Set of New York).

Source: X, ELLE Decor, TAPInto, Hoboken Girl, CN Traveller, On the Set of New York