James Mangold found Bob Dylan "incredibly helpful" in helping him find the "emotional reality" in 'A Complete Unknown'

James told the Big Issue magazine: "We met in a coffee shop that was closed for Covid and we just sat down and talked for five hours.

"We did the same over a series of dates after that. And they were just lovely conversations in which he was anything but guarded. He answered any question I had.

"I was a curious artist asking questions, many of which he'd never been asked before, rather than a biographer setting down something to be put in print.

"There's a kind of emotional reality that I've got to kind of capture - and he was incredibly helpful with that."

James was flattered to find Bob was very much aware of his previous work.

He said: "He revealed to me many things that took any of the anxiety out of meeting him. He's a huge film fan, so he had seen almost all my movies.

"He waxed on about how he loved 'Cop Land' and Sylvester Stallone and the final gun fight in that movie.

"He's got encyclopaedic knowledge of not just all kinds of music, but movies and art and literature. It's quite something to behold."

The filmmaker believes his own 'Walk the Line', the Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon-starring biopic about the late Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter, gave the 'Like a Rolling Stone' hitmaker confidence in his ability to handle his life story.

He added: "He liked it. And I imagine it gave him some sense of confidence in the endeavour I was about to start on following his young story."

And when he had any doubts about the project, Bob put his fears at ease.

James said: "He's been nothing but a positive force.

"There was a moment when I was writing the script when people were getting nervous that it was veering too much from a simple story of folk versus rock into the personal side of his life.

"Bob asked to read the script, reacted positively, and gave me the green light to continue, and that includes depictions of misbehaviour. He sees himself with a clear eye."