Last spring and summer, New Jersey was abuzz with Timothée Chalamet sightings. The star spent weeks shooting the Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown” all over the state. Searchlight Pictures chose NJ to stand in for New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, both locations key to Dylan’s rise to superstardom.
According to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the production spent $81 million shooting in 20 New Jersey towns, including Hoboken, Jersey City, Kinnelon, Westfield, Paterson, Clifton, Millburn, and Newark.
One of the biggest roles in the film went to Cape May. A signature moment in Dylan’s career was the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and Cape May served as the ideal stunt double. When filming began, Cape May locals were incredibly helpful and enthusiastic. Streets were closed and storefronts were redesigned as familiar landmarks became backdrops for the story of one of the 60s greatest artists.
Many locals played extras in the production while Congress Hall, the Victorian Hotel, Perry Street, and Beach Avenue were transformed to look just like Newport in 1965. In a critical scene when Dylan breaks up with his girlfriend, played by actress Elle Fanning, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry replaced the Providence Ferry in Rhode Island.
The local excitement made Philadelphia local news and YouTuber Joey Contino of the Wildwood Video Archive gave a lengthy, behind-the-scenes tour of filming on the streets of Cape May.
When the movie premiered, proud Cape May residents flocked to the theaters. Members of the audience cheered wildly when they recognized their hometown on the big screen. However, this excitement was dimmed when there was no mention of gratitude for Cape May in the closing credits.
This prompted longtime Cape May town booster John Cooke to write an angry opinion piece in the Cape May Star and Wave. He expressed his dismay and disillusionment with Hollywood’s titles, “Sorry to see city left out of credits for Dylan biopic.”
His piece ended, “For all the hoopla, inconvenience, and hospitality our city extended the production company, the least we could have expected was a thank-you to the city of Cape May, its leaders, and residents.”
Cooke wasn’t the only Cape May resident dismayed by the snub. The Philadelphia Inquirer picked up the story. They talked to Cooke and found plenty of other folks from Cape May who now know better when it comes to dealing with Hollywood.
The owner of Congress Hall, Curtis Bashaw, made a deal with Searchlight Pictures for just about everything but a mention in the credits. “I think for all of us, we were probably just a little bit novice in this,” he said. “There hasn’t been a million feature films. That’s a live-and-learn situation.”
Both the State of New Jersey and the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission got a quick credit, but a spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures said “Specific locations are not credited in the end crawl.”
In the end, Cape May Mayor Zachary Mullock called it “a bit of a learning experience,” but added “The whole thing has been great for Cape May. We really enjoyed hosting it.”
But this wouldn’t be New Jersey if someone on social media didn’t get the last word. Threads user @gaborant quipped, “Get over it, Cape May. You’ll be fine. Have a hot dog at that hot dog place and chill out.”
