Sufjan Stevens Was Supposed to Narrate & Make A Cameo In Call Me By Your Name

Speaking to Deadline, Sufjan Stevens has revealed some startling choices that were almost made during the production of Call Me By Your Name.

Stevens, whose soundtrack of the film is a crucial element of the story's emotional gravitas, explained that director Luca Guadagnino had originally asked the musician to take on an even bigger role in the movie: that of narrator and travelling bard.

The book of Call Me By Your Name is told exclusively through the inner monologue of Elio's character, the younger boy played in the film by Timothee Chalamet.

"[Luca] initially asked me to be the voice of the older Elio; to contribute that voiceover," Stevens explained. "He also asked if I wanted to appear in the movie as a bard, performing the song, almost as a break in the narrative."

Anyone who's seen the movie knows that ultimately the director made the choice to do away with any voiceover--a somewhat radical decision when adapting a book that relies exclusively on the main character's thoughts. But, we now know, this major narrative decision was in large part thanks to Stevens.

And now it's time to listen to the closing song of the film, "Visions of Gideon":