Monica Barbaro has officially gone from Backstage reader to Oscar nominee. “This is the magazine; this is the thing,” she gleefully remarks. “You read other actors saying the same thing, and you’re like, Maybe someday. And then here you are!” The dancer-turned-actor caught the industry’s eye with her role as a naval aviator in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” But it’s her spirited turn as legendary folk singer Joan Baez in James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” that captivated both audiences and the Academy, which responded with a best supporting actress nod.
1. For “A Complete Unknown,” how did you balance researching Baez with leaving room for your own take?
I really entrusted James Mangold with what he wanted his interpretation to be. I did obsess over the research—all of us became experts on and fierce defenders of [the people we were playing]. And there were things in the script that didn’t quite align with the Joan I had read about. She didn’t drink [during the time period of the movie], but there were a few references to her drinking. So I was like, “Jim, she doesn’t drink”—just so it would ring as true as possible. It’s naturally going to be your own interpretation of [the person you’re portraying], but I wasn’t looking at it like: What’s my spin? That was of no significance to me.
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2. How did you prepare for the role musically, particularly when it came to singing live?
I knew I could kind of carry a tune, but I didn’t sing. So I worked with an incredible vocal coach and a couple guitar coaches. My guitar experience at that point was basically trying to learn from YouTube videos, then getting tired of my own inadequacies and stopping—which I think is most people’s guitar experience. So it just was learning fingerpicking styles and trying to expand my vocal range, because I couldn’t sing the songs as high as Joan does. And having a live audience there just felt so authentic and so invigorating; I think you feel very alive when you experience that kind of fear.
Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in “A Complete Unknown” Courtesy Searchlight Pictures
3. Before you became an actor, you studied dance at NYU. Did that training translate to your performance in “A Complete Unknown”?
I saw guitar and singing as other artistic endeavors that would require decades of training that I wasn’t going to have [time for]. So I took it seriously because I know what it takes to get to a point of making something look like it’s an extension of yourself. For dance, we had teachers who would micromanage every bit of our process. And with acting, I really had to learn how to manage my time and put a lot of focus into training. I was in class constantly and forcing myself to schedule rehearsals with people. And it never felt like I’d given it enough time, because I think nothing could match how many hours I’ve spent in dance rehearsal—although maybe now I’m getting there.
4. Have there been any lessons you’ve learned from other actors that have stuck with you?
I remember I was on set with Bradley Whitford [on “Chicago Justice”], and he was talking about conservatory training. I was like, “Oh, I wish I’d done conservatory training in acting, because I knew I wanted to do it.” And he was like, “But you’re here and you’re working, which says something.” That helped me let go of my regrets about not starting this earlier.
5. What advice would you give your younger self?
Really train, and respect the training and trust it. I have been hugely lucky; but I think it’s like when people say that luck is when preparation meets opportunity, and what you can control is your preparation. I mean, there is a lot of blatant luck involved. I’m still completely floored that I am a working actor, because I so immensely acknowledge how difficult it can be to get to the point where you can even pay a bill with a check from an acting job. I honor that and just try to remind myself of that every single day.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.