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Monica Barbaro’s Transformative Role as Joan Baez in ‘A Complete Unknown’

Monica Barbaro, recognized for her standout portrayal of Joan Baez in James Mangold’s film A Complete Unknown, has recently received significant acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination. This acknowledgment follows the film’s initial screenings to critics and awards enthusiasts in November, where her performance garnered high praise.

One of the most meaningful endorsements of Barbaro’s work came from Baez herself. In a recent interview, Baez expressed her admiration, stating, “I loved what she did in the film. If I didn’t think she was good at it, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it in general. But she looked enough like me, and she had my gestures down. You could tell who it was. She worked so hard. Kudos to her for taking the role on,” as reported by the Marin Independent Journal.

Barbaro’s excitement was palpable following the positive feedback from the folk icon. The actress had previously communicated with Baez during the filming process, having received a voicemail from her after she showcased the film. When Barbaro finally met Baez in person at a benefit concert in San Francisco, she felt a sense of relief thanks to their earlier interactions.

“I had dealt with all of my immense emotions, and just my mind being blown — I handled all of that before we met,” Barbaro remarked. “So that was good, too, because I was worried I would start crying or falling over. I was nervous about my ability to make eye contact and string a sentence together. So [because of our prior communication] I could do that before I saw her, and then we hugged, and it was just… it was crazy. It felt like there was a familiarity there that I really appreciated.”

This marks Barbaro’s first Oscar nomination, highlighting her exceptional performance in the film, which received a total of eight nominations. Previously, she gained recognition from her roles in Top Gun: Maverick and the Netflix series FUBAR, filmed simultaneously with A Complete Unknown. However, portraying Baez required intense dedication and research on Barbaro’s part. She immersed herself in learning guitar and singing in Baez’s unique style, spending considerable time perfecting the vibrato with the help of a vocal coach.

In one of the pivotal scenes, Barbaro, embodying Baez, performs “House of the Rising Sun” in a small venue, capturing the essence of live music as she sings a cappella. “God, I was most terrified to do that more than anything else in the movie,” she confessed. “I focused on that song a lot. We pre-recorded that song very early, so I knew that version was not the one that I was happiest with because the vibrato wasn’t quite there, not nearly to the extent that I got later.”

Barbaro drew upon her background as a dancer, likening the experience of performing to the art of ballet. “I explained this to my friends that I danced with, I was like, ‘This song is like doing an adagio at half-speed in a thing I’ve never done before,’” she explained.

When it came time to perform, however, Barbaro focused on Baez’s storytelling ability. She noted, “What I learned from Joan is that she’s just this excellent storyteller, and the way she sort of hovers on different words and different lyrics brings the songs she sings to life. So I thought, at best, this can be, in a way, sort of like a monologue, and so to connect with the words in the song, to tell a story is the most important thing.”

Not every performance presented the same level of anxiety. Barbaro also depicted several live shows, including Baez’s unforgettable 1965 Newport Folk Festival appearance. In a scene where Baez and Bob Dylan (played by Timothée Chalamet) duet on “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” she reflected on the difference in filming intensity. “What’s so funny about that scene is it’s in complete contrast to the ‘House of the Rising Sun’ scene,” Barbaro noted, explaining how the former took two days to shoot while the duet was completed in just a few takes.

Barbaro expressed the comfort she developed while performing live, having rehearsed extensively with Chalamet prior to filming their scenes. “We had done so many songs at that point. So there was an immediate comfortability there,” she shared.

In the final scene featuring her character’s singing, which occurs during a pivotal moment between Baez and Dylan, Barbaro felt an exhilarating blend of emotions. “It was really alive in a really special way,” she recalled. “And it’s one of my favorites to watch of the scenes I’m involved in. It feels fun, and it feels free.”

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