Marty Supreme: Timothée Chalamet’s Ping Pong Pursuit and Oscar Buzz
Timothée Chalamet spent years honing his ping pong skills for his role as Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme. But will this dedication be enough to secure him the coveted Oscar?
There’s often a common thread among Oscar nominees who ultimately win – and it extends far beyond simply memorizing lines. Rami Malek immersed himself in singing, piano, and choreography to embody Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Natalie Portman underwent a year of intensive ballet training for Black Swan. And, according to director Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro’s boxing training for Raging Bull was so rigorous he could have turned professional.
The Years of Training
This year, Timothée Chalamet stands out as the actor who truly went the extra mile in mastering a new skill. Nominated for Best Actor at today’s Oscars for his portrayal of the self-absorbed, aspiring table tennis champion Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme, Chalamet began practicing ping pong as early as 2018. Reports suggest he even ensured a table was available during filming for other productions, including Dune and Wonka.
Prior to filming Marty Supreme, Chalamet partnered with table tennis experts Diego Schaaf and Wei Wang, coaches based in Los Angeles who also run Alpha Productions, a service providing ping pong skills for TV and film. Think Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, or Monica and Mike (Courteney Cox and Paul Rudd) playing in Barbados on Friends.
Schaaf recalls being initially contacted through a friend by filmmaker Josh Safdie. “We went to Timothée’s house,” he says. “We spent a few minutes playing, and I could tell he had the aptitude. He learns very quickly, he’s physically talented, so it wasn’t going to be a problem.”
By 2024, Chalamet was already a capable player. Schaaf and Wang focused on refining his technique. “He understood what the strokes needed to look like, the timing involved – that was critical,” explains Schaaf, 72. “He was completely committed from the start, saying, ‘I want to get this right, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make it look authentic.’”
The Challenge of Performance
Having personally attempted to play alongside professionals, the complexity of Chalamet’s performance became strikingly clear. It’s far more than just hitting a ball back and forth. The choreography is demanding. Chalamet wasn’t simply asked to play convincingly – a feat in itself – but to simultaneously deliver lines while precisely placing shots at speed. Continuity demanded more than random ball trajectories.
“Aim for the net,” Schaaf advised, “and stop trying to hit it so hard.” Schaaf’s skill allowed him to make even a novice look good, but Chalamet couldn’t rely on such assistance. He had to genuinely perform the skill throughout the film. The level of skill he displays is remarkable, especially considering the years of effort invested in mastering it.
A History of Dedication
Marty Supreme isn’t the first instance of Chalamet going above and beyond for a role. The 30-year-old has previously been nominated for Best Actor for Call Me By Your Name (2018) and A Complete Unknown (last year). For Call Me By Your Name, he learned Italian. For A Complete Unknown, a Bob Dylan biopic, he spent years learning guitar and emulating Dylan’s vocal style – concurrently with his table tennis training.
Schaaf describes Chalamet as “hyper-focused” and capable of delivering his best performance when the cameras are rolling. “Most people under pressure perform a little less well. He [Chalamet] shares that with Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks would miss everything, and then as soon as the camera rolls, he wouldn’t miss one.”
So, if the Oscars awarded points for effort, Chalamet would be a strong contender. However, he faces stiff competition from Michael B. Jordan, the star of Sinners, who portrayed two characters in that film. But for Schaaf, there’s a clear winner. Acknowledging his bias, he states, “He put in the work. That’s not to say the other guys didn’t work… I’m sure they did. I’m glad I’m not the one who has to choose. But I saw what [Chalamet] did, and it’s super impressive.”
