Is Timothée Chalamet as good at pingpong as his character in ‘Marty Supreme’?

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First clue that someone is serious about pingpong: They call it table tennis.

Second clue: They bring their own paddle.

Timothée Chalamet shared another hint about his upcoming movie while filming on location around the world. He spent years practicing a skill crucial to the plot of “Marty Supreme,” even bringing a portable table with him to train and have fun – a skill that’s become a popular topic this holiday season.

For the film, director Josh Safdie brought in table tennis experts Diego Schaaf and Wei Wang—a former U.S. Olympian—to train Timothée Chalamet and ensure the scenes accurately portrayed the sport. They also acted as technical advisors during filming.

Chalamet was already performing convincingly as a world-class player on screen. He’d prepared thoroughly, practicing throughout the pandemic by setting up a table in his New York City apartment and dedicating himself to the game.

Awards

Glenn Whipp, who covers awards season, analyzes the opening weekend box office numbers and early audience response for ‘Marty Supreme’ as the film begins its campaign for Oscar consideration.

Timothée Chalamet revealed he kept a dedicated workspace wherever he filmed. He had a table set up in London while making ‘Wonka,’ in Budapest and Jordan for ‘Dune: Part Two,’ and in Abu Dhabi. He even had a workspace at the Cannes Film Festival while promoting ‘The French Dispatch.’

It’s hard to believe Timothée Chalamet had time for table tennis while preparing for his role as Bob Dylan, learning to sing and play guitar for the movie “A Complete Unknown.”

He insisted that everything he said was true, stating that it’s all backed up by documentation which will be released. He explained that he spent years developing these two projects simultaneously, and that these were the projects he had the most time to work on.

Wherever Chalamet found the time, Schaaf was impressed by the result.

Schaaf told the Hollywood Reporter that he was completely focused on making this scene match the quality of the rest of the film.

Review

‘Marty Supreme’ spins pingpong into a gaspingly funny critique of the American hustle

I was completely captivated by Josh Safdie’s latest film! After the intensity of ‘Uncut Gems,’ he’s switched gears to a really fun, almost unbelievable story set just after World War II. It’s all about competitive table tennis, and the movie beautifully captures the high stakes and huge personalities that come with international competition. It’s a surprisingly thrilling ride!

Chalamet was proud to perform all his own table tennis scenes without a stunt double. The filmmakers only used CGI to add the ball into some of the longer, more complex game sequences after they were initially choreographed without it.

Schaaf explained to the Washington Post that they needed a script to film the scene. Because it was scripted, the actor had to rehearse with an actual ball first. He needed to learn the movements and positioning perfectly – where to be and when – so that when the ball was added with visual effects, everything would look realistic. Getting the player’s movements right was crucial for a believable final shot.

Schaaf said about 60 points were scripted.

We did a lot of practice, and I was really surprised by how quickly Timothée picked things up. He actually understood the rhythm better than many professional players, because they rely on the ball to tell them when to move. When we took the ball away, they were all confused about the timing.

Honestly, they really nailed the pacing of the film, and picked things up fast. But Timothée? He was absolutely on point with everything, a true natural.

Timothée Chalamet’s character faces off against Marty Mauser, played by Koto Endo, who is actually Japanese table tennis star Koto Kawaguchi. Their on-screen competition is inspired by the famous rivalry between American champion Marty Reisman and Japan’s Hiroji Satoh in the 1950s.

Amy Nicholson, in a review for The New York Times, pointed out that a pingpong ball can travel as fast as 70 miles per hour when hit well.

She described the story as a fast-paced, quirky adventure set in 1952 New York. It follows a selfish table tennis hustler—who insists on being called a professional athlete—who wins games and arguments by relentlessly frustrating his opponents.

Nicholson believes Reisman would enjoy the film, which takes viewers back in time to the 1950s, a period when American table tennis players were optimistic about the future.

Chalamet appears to have gotten noticeably thinner for this role, seemingly losing muscle mass. While it’s amusing to see someone so lean trying to embody the powerful Hercules, he still performs the action scenes with energy and commitment.

There’s nothing that builds an actor’s or athlete’s confidence quite like consistent practice and preparation, and Timothée Chalamet’s skill at paddle tennis is a great example of this.

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2025-12-30 06:31