James Mangold’s Oscar-nominated biopic A Complete Unknown stars Edward Norton as the renowned folk musician Pete Seeger, who’s best known for his work alongside Bob Dylan in the early days of the latter’s career. This is the period that A Complete Unknown focuses on, detailing the creation of some of Bob Dylan’s most successful songs and shining a light on Seeger’s role in the whole process.

While it was Timothée Chalamet’s scene-stealing lead performance that got the most attention out of A Complete Unknown’s cast, Norton’s role was still an incredibly nuanced one that the story simply wouldn’t have worked without. His down-to-earth realism served as a perfect contrast to Dylan’s eccentric personality, which helped develop much of the third-act tension regarding Dylan’s decision to play an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival. However, Norton was only cast in A Complete Unknown because another acclaimed actor was forced to step back from the project.

Edward Norton Was Only Cast In A Complete Unknown After Benedict Cumberbatch Had To Drop Out

The British Actor Had To Leave Because Of Scheduling Conflicts

The production process of A Complete Unknown was a particularly long and complex one, with James Mangold first approaching Timothee Chalamet about the project over five years before it was ultimately released. During this time, Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Pete Seeger. However, due to scheduling conflicts that clashed with his other projects, the actor unfortunately had to step back.

The reason that A Complete Unknown took so long to film was partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the actors from coming together to film their scenes. When restrictions were finally lifted, Chalamet had already committed to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies – and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike came not too long afterward. All of these factors likely contributed to Cumberbatch’s decision to step back.

A Complete Unknown’s Pete Seeger Recasting Makes Edward Norton’s Role More Impressive

The Actor Barely Had Time To Prepare

It wasn’t until January 2024 that Ed Norton was revealed to have taken over the role of Pete Seeger from Benedict Cumberbatch, meaning that the actor only had a matter of months to prepare for the part. Given the musicality that’s expected of the role, this short preparation time is even more impressive. Chalamet had several years to learn how to master Bob Dylan’s voice and play his instruments, whereas Norton had less than six months to become Pete Seeger.

Nevertheless, Norton was ultimately nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category at this year’s ceremony, alongside both Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro for their portrayals of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. While every member of the film’s ensemble did a great job, Norton’s performance in A Complete Unknown deserves even more credit for such a quick turnaround.