Monica Barbaro shares insight on landing role in ‘A Complete Unknown’

Monica Barbaro, American actress, reflects on receiving the role of Joan Baez in ‘A Complete Unknown’ where she showed off her mind-blowing skills in capturing the core of music’s most admired artist.

In conversation with Variety's Award Circuit Podcast, Top Gun: Maverick star recalled the moment she received the email, "Joan is yours."

"I froze, fell to the ground, and cried,” she said. "It was life-changing. I still have a screenshot of that email."

The 34-year-old star admitted that she wasn’t Baez super-fan in the beginning, but after listening to The Water Is Wide, she said "it was like time froze. Her voice has this spiritual quality it’s otherworldly."

Barbaro auditioned for the role in March 2020, just days before COVID pandemic began. 

"My first audition was right before the world stopped," the artist revealed.

She had her breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick, which pushed her in global spotlight. A significant factor in her success was Tom Cruise’s mentorship, that left a profound and lasting impact on her career.

Barbaro praised Cruise for being "impossibly hardworking" as well as "generous." She admitted that "He reached out to James Mangold and vouched for me."

The artist is currently busy filming Crime 101, a crime thriller starring Chris Pine and Mark Ruffalo.

The movie A Complete Unknown is running in theatres since December 25, 2024.