The “A Complete Unknown” actor performed two Bob Dylan songs as the show’s host and musical guest, after playing the singer in a biopic.

Timothée Chalamet says he spent ‘six figures out of my pocket’ to perform on SNL

The "A Complete Unknown" actor performed two Bob Dylan songs as the show's host and musical guest, after playing the singer in a biopic.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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on February 1, 2026 7:58 p.m. ET

Timothée Chalamet performs 'Tomorrow Is a Long Time' on 'SNL' in the Jan. 25, 2025, episode. Credit:

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Pulling double duty on* Saturday Night Live* isn't just difficult — it can also be expensive.

Timothée Chalamet has revealed that it was quite the costly endeavor for him to promote his Bob Dylan biopic *A Complete Unknown* as both the host and musical guest of *SNL* last January.

"I spent over six figures out of my pocket to do the *SNL* performance," Chalamet told a packed theater at London’s Prince Charles Cinema on Sunday. While in conversation with *Love Actually* filmmaker Richard Curtis, the 30-year-old went deep on his approach to marketing his movies — and why he was so determined to pull double duty on the sketch comedy show.

"Lorne Michaels said, ‘Hey, do you want to host *SNL*?’" Chalamet recalled. "I said, 'Yeah, can I do the music?' He’s like, 'No.' I said, 'All right, I’m not doing it.' He said, 'Okay, do the music.' But I refused to take no for an answer."

Timothée Chalamet and Lorne Michaels.

Karwai Tang/WireImage; Amy Sussman/Getty

Chalamet got his way: In addition to hosting the show and appearing in several sketches, he took center stage to perform as the musical guest of *SNL*'s Jan. 25, 2025, episode. He sang three of Dylan's songs: "Outlaw Blues," "Three Angels," and 1963's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time."

As for how those six figures were used,* * has learned that Chalamet covered production expenses for his performances, including the band and construction of a set. Such costs are typically covered by an artists' record label.

Representatives for *SNL* did not respond to EW's request for comment.

Timothée Chalamet performs 40 Bob Dylan songs live in 'A Complete Unknown' (exclusive)

Timothée Chalamet says he was threatened by 'Marty Supreme' background actor

While chatting with Curtis, Chalamet got candid about his unique way of promoting his films, which has seen the actor pop into look-alike contests, conduct wacky Zoom stunts, and, most recently, turn the Sphere Las Vegas into a giant ping-pong ball that he stood atop. Chalamet explained that he doesn't think of his publicity stunts as gimmicks, but as a way of "expressing [him]self."

"This is the new way of doing stuff. I’m trying to reach audiences, you know. I don’t want to be in the pretentious in-crowd," Chalamet explained. "*Marty Supreme* in America had the least frequent moviegoing audience this year — people that weren’t going to see everything. That’s my favorite feedback on the movie. So the most pretentious answer I could give you, which I actually honestly feel, is that it’s not marketing or promotion. That sounds like a gimmick, and this is not a gimmick. This is coming from my heart and my soul.”

Timothée Chalamet hosts 'SNL' in January 2025.

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Chalamet is currently up for Best Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards. When Curtis bluntly asked if the actor wants to win the Oscar, Chalamet stuttered and spoke slowly.

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"Listen, yes. But I want to give you context for that, because sometimes I feel like I’ve been misinterpreted in my quest," Chalamet said. "All these award things, they supplement the movie. I’m not going to turn this into a monologue about the crisis of theaters and stuff, but when you go to an awards show, everyone’s participating in an advertisement for each other — in the best sense of the word."

He then amended, "I don’t want it to be misinterpreted that the world is in the condition it’s in and I’m going to bed like, 'F--- man, I need that [Oscar].' You know, I’m living on planet Earth."

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Source: “EW SNL”