Timothée Dearest? Reports on Set of Dylan Biopic Paint Superstar as a Raging Diva

In a report in the Daily Mail, Hollywood superstar Timothée Chalamet is getting pushback for not living up to his sweet, vulnerable image. The outlet reports from the set of the upcoming biopic "A Complete Unknown," in which the 28-year-old "Dune" star is playing Bob Dylan, has been less than kind.

"Movie industry insiders who worked closely with Chalamet on his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, 'A Complete Unknown,' claim the burgeoning superstar is, in fact, a raging 'diva,'" writes the Daily Mail.

"And as filming wrapped on the project in June, several crewmembers spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com about the allegedly 'toxic' on-set environment fraught with complaints of 'cruelty' and 'frat-boy behavior.'"

"'[Chalamet] was hyper-paranoid,' said a crewmember on the film's Hoboken, New Jersey set.

"'We were not allowed to make eye contact with him or introduce ourselves.'"

Once supposed incident occurred during the recent solar eclipse when a production assistant took a pic that mistakenly included Chalamet. The actor "allegedly flew into a rage and 'cursed out' the PA" Security also "scoured her phone and made her delete all the photos," the insider claimed.

Chalamet was said to have then to have "forced the movie's producers to send a strongly-worded email to the entire cast and crew prohibiting 'all cell use' near the leading man. 'The production assistant panicked that she was going to get fired,' said the source, who claimed on set security would browbeat anyone who used phones in Chalamet's proximity, 'even when using them was critical to aspects of their jobs.'"

Chalamet was said to have also 'hated when the crew watched rehearsals' and harbored a particular loathing for 'stand-in' actors, who helped the lighting department fine-tune their setup before he arrived for a scene. It is also claimed he "once seized a 'restroom trailer for himself at the last minute, which caused massive lines and long waits to access the other facilities,' on a particularly busy day of filming with 120 background actors and 150-plus crew members, according to Dailymail.com's source."

"He just didn't care about anyone else except himself."

When contacted by the Daily Mail, a source close to production said: "it is very common for principal actors to get their own bathrooms." They also denied the allegation that Chalamet demanded "no eye contact" and that he kicked anyone off set, suggesting that production staff may have told "people to not approach the actors while they are rehearsing or filming on set". And the production source did not deny that amateur photography was prohibited and insisted that is "standard practice", adding that "if [a crew member] takes a picture of the solar eclipse, that's not professional, and production would most likely stop you."

But Chalamet isn't the only one on set accused of toxic behavior. The Daily Mail adds that production insider claims the "hostile work environment" rife with "cruelty" and "frat-boy behavior" –allegedly fostered by the film's director James Mangold. Mangold is a Hollywood veteran known for "Girl Interrupted" (1998) "Walk the Line" (2005) and most recently "Ford v. Ferrari" (2019).

"He generally ran one of the least professional and most toxic sets I've ever been on," another crewmember told the Daily Mail. "It was fraught with disparaging comments along the lines of 'this guy f****** sucks."

The abuse allegedly turned physical when Mangold pushed a production assistant. Despite numerous reported complaints, he allegedly faced no consequences for his behavior. "Within his inner circle, [Mangold] openly mocked the complaints against him like a frat boy, saying, 'Oh we have to be careful, or someone will call HR on us again!" the Mail was told.

After a reprimand from studio executives, Mangold's behavior "slightly" improved, but the change "only lasted a week," the production insider added the Daily Mail.

The Mail reached out to Mangold's representatives but did not receive a response.

Searchlight Pictures - the film's production company - issued a statement claiming, "These allegations are largely inaccurate and overstated. However, fostering a respectful and professional environment on set is something we take very seriously."

Searchlight acknowledged that "some interactions [...] took place early on set," and 'issues raised" were "immediately assessed and addressed."

The Daily Mail claims that Chalamet was the only person on set immune to Mangold's alleged abuse. 'The director worshipped the ground that Timothee walked on because it's his star power that bankrolled the film,' one insider said.