Timothée Chalamet Slept, Ate, and Breathed Ping-Pong for ‘Marty…

Timothée Chalamet is more of a hands-on kind of guy.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor revealed that prepping for his role in Marty Supreme was less about makeup and more about mastering the spin serve. He explained to the publication that he spent years training for the movie, which screened Monday night at the New York Film Festival.

According to Chalamet, training started back in 2018. Long before cameras rolled, he was building his skills at a 24-hour facility in Lower Manhattan. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, so naturally Timmy turned his apartment into a complete training center, swapping out furniture for a table-tennis setup.

Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie once dropped by to test the star’s skills.

“In my apartment that wasn’t made for table-tennis," Chalamet told THR, “he fully sprained his ankle and was limping around for three months.”

@timhalchal
timothée chalamet’s speech before a surprise screening of “marty supreme” at the new york film festival!!! 🥹🩷 #timothée #timotheechalamet
♬ original sound - K. (fan account) 💘

As Chalamet bounced from Dune set to the set of Wonka, the ping-pong tables went with him.

“Everything I was working on, it was this secret: I had a table in London while I was making Wonka. On Dune 2, I had a table in Budapest, Jordan. I had a table in Abu Dhabi,” he said. "I had a table at the Cannes Film Festival for The French Dispatch. I got myself an Airbnb in a town [around] Saint-Tropez after The French Dispatch, overlooking the water, and I was taking lessons there.”

For skeptics, he insists this isn’t PR spin. Chalamet has said in the past he went through extensive prep like learning the guitar to play Bob Dylan.

"If anyone thinks this is cap, as the kids say — if anyone thinks this is made up — this is all documented, and it’ll be put out,” he said. “These were the two spoiled projects where I got years to work on them. This is the truth. I was working on both these things concurrently.”

Marty Supreme, which also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, and Tyler, the Creator, opens in theaters on Christmas.

The Latest