For his outstanding role in 2017 call me by your nameTimothée Chalamet learned Italian and learned to play the piano and guitar. To play Bob Dylan in A complete stranger Last year he started playing the guitar again, learned harmonica and took singing lessons. Both roles earned Chalamet Oscar nominations.
Now, in addition to rapping, he is seeking his third Oscar nomination for A24 marty supremein which he plays a ping-pong hustler who dreams big. This time, Chalamet’s preparation – training to perform the sport at the highest level – was once again exhaustive.
«He was especially dedicated to making this the same quality as the rest of the movie,» says Diego Schaaf, the film’s table tennis instructor. Schaaf grew up playing the sport in Switzerland, but never competed professionally.
Chalamet’s preparation began long before Schaaf came into the picture. He trained secretly for years while working on projects like The French office, Wonkaand Dune: Part Two. So when it came to rehearsals marty supremeHis level of skill impressed Schaaf, an expert who previously worked at Forrest Gump (1994), balls of fury (2007) and an NBC episode Friends. Schaaf’s wife, Wei Wang, a U.S. Olympian, also helped elevate Chalamet’s performance.
“We really dove into it last summer,” Schaaf says. «We had to bring hitting mechanics to a world-class level from the 1950s, which is clearly different from how the sport is played today.»
Because the film, directed by Josh Safdie, is set in that era, Chalamet had to unlearn the modern technique. “Timothée, as a dancer, immediately understood how he had to move,” explains Schaaf. «But we had to make that work in the context of a relatively fast game.»
Wang worked closely with Chalamet to define the specific techniques of the period. «Different styles have very different strokes and he understood it all,» says Schaaf. «He wasn’t interested in doing the bare minimum. Even when he did well, he’d say, ‘Let’s do it again.'»
Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme.
A24
That commitment brought with it challenges, especially because, as Schaaf points out, Chalamet performed all of his table tennis sequences himself, rather than using a double.
«We considered finding a double,» Schaaf admits, «but it was difficult to find someone who matched his physique.» and I could play. From the beginning, I told Josh that we needed the best players possible, because they can perform under pressure.”
Most Olympic-level table tennis players start training between the ages of 4 and 8, Schaaf explains. “So we knew there was a limit to how far we could go,” he says. “But Timothée understood the sport well enough to know how difficult a shot would be and what it should look like if you actually hit it.” Some of the difficult tricks were left out, but they were fixed in post-production.
That understanding was crucial when choreographing matches. «In recreational table tennis, you barely move,» says Schaaf. «This was very athletically demanding. He memorized every point, every move, every shot. Timing was critical (some shots float, others travel fast) and he understood it right away. He performed incredibly well.»
Another notable name from the film, Tyler, the Creator, also trained with Schaaf and Wang at their Los Angeles club, the Westside Table Tennis Center. Unlike Chalamet, Tyler had never played table tennis before.
«It’s rare to find someone who has literally never hit a ball,» Schaaf says. «He loved it. One time he came straight from the airport, ran into the club and said, ‘I’m going to buy a table!'»
But Tyler’s skill level in the film was intentionally much lower than Chalamet’s. “In the bowling scene, you’re not supposed to be a high-level player,” Schaaf explains. «But after just one or two sessions, he was already returning 10 or 12 balls, which is not easy. He was an absolute sweetheart, smiling the whole time.»
Tyler, the Creator and Timothée Chalamet in marty supreme.
A24
While the training took place in Los Angeles, marty supreme is set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1950s. Since both Safdie and Chalamet are from New York, capturing the city’s ping-pong culture was another priority.
«I don’t play in New York, but I’ve met a lot of players from New York,» Schaaf says. «It felt very precise. There’s more gambling, more of an underground vibe. When players from New York go out West, there’s a different kind of energy.»
Although the film follows Marty’s hunger for success in table tennis, the fast-paced, anxiety-fueled intensity of the Safdie brothers’ films Spree (2017) and uncut gems (2019) are known, remains front and center, even when marty supreme It marks Safdie’s first solo feature film without his brother Benny.
“I saw the movie and almost forgot it was about table tennis,” Schaaf says, laughing. «It was so exciting. Then the first tournament scene came on and I thought, ‘Oh, right, here we go.’ Josh did a great job cutting it so you really feel the tension.»
Schaaf also makes a cameo in the film as the referee of the final match – a last-minute surprise. “The night before I got a text asking if I want to do it,” he says. «I thought it was going to be there anyway. I had no idea that was going to happen.»
Chalamet’s dedication to the role was not without risk. At the film’s premiere in New York earlier this month, Safdie said the actor «almost lost an eye» during filming. While no details were shared, Chalamet previously said he wore contact lenses to «mess up» his vision so he could wear real glasses for Marty’s signature look, which ultimately led to a «nasty» eye infection.
That same comprehensive mentality has led to the The wildest press rush of Chalamet’s career, which included a satirical A24 marketing meeting, an orange blimp in the sky and becoming the first person to appear atop the Las Vegas Sphere, which lit up like an orange ping-pong ball with the film’s tagline, «Dream Big.» It has also sold exclusive marty supreme jackets, which have had fans waiting in line 24 hours a day, lit the Empire State Building orange and disrupted a table tennis tournament in New York.
Chalamet, reflecting Marty’s great ambition, has put his focus on table tennis.
«I really hope this gives the sport the breakthrough it deserves,» Schaaf says. «People don’t realize how many levels there are. You think you’re near the top and there are 30 levels in between. The better you do, the more you realize how little you know.»
He pauses and then laughs. “It takes a specific person, like Marty, someone who says, ‘No matter how hard it is, I’m going to do this.’ Hopefully we have more of those.”
