From Interstellar, to Little Women, to Dune, Timothee Chalamet has been rapidly growing his name in the film industry over the last fifteen years. It was his prominence as an actor that led many viewers to his newest film Marty Supreme. Potential viewers were reasonably not all that interested in the table tennis-centered plot until hearing of the popular actor that stars in it, with his performance leading viewers to care about a man and a sport that not many had initially given much thought to.
Marty Supreme takes place in 1950s New York, following a table tennis hustler’s struggle to compete in the world championship in Tokyo. Marty Mauser’s pursuit of greatness almost always means inconveniencing those around him and throughout the film, his actions establish him as an all-around manipulative, cocky swindler. However, the audience still frequently finds themselves rooting for this objectively bad guy. Both through the “beautiful cinematography” and phenomenal acting, Liliana Alarcon (LP ‘28) and Jack Colucci (LP ‘27) agreed that Chalamet’s performance “made [them] forget that it was Timothee Chalamet and not Marty Mauser.”
It was a very visually and audibly appealing film, with “new wave” music choices that still “fit in with the 1950s setting” Colin Sheffer (LP ‘27) said.
The part that stuck out to viewers the most was the casting of Timothee Chalamet, Tyler The Creator, and Gwenyth Paltrow, all in one movie. The acting debut of rapper Tyler The Creator brought people to the theaters in droves, and many audience members, including LP students Colin, Brian Hudak (LP ‘29), and Brayden Cervantes (LP ‘27) were initially interested because of the involvement of Chalamet as the lead actor and producer. It was especially interesting how many of the actors themselves mirrored their characters: Paltrow plays an older film actress living out the end of her career on the stage, and Chalamet plays a restless young man who will stop at nothing to reach his goals. The way the actors reflect their own characters adds another layer of believability to their performances that I believe is very rare in movies now.
While the movie itself was compelling and fun to watch, I was more intrigued by Chalamet’s off-camera involvement with this film. While he was also the producer of Marty Supreme, I’ve never seen a producer be as publicly involved with the marketing of their movie as Chalamet was. As described by Brayden, the marketing “made [the film] seem like an event and not a movie.” Chalamet performed various publicity stunts such as turning the Las Vegas Sphere into a Marty Supreme ping-pong ball, being shown on the cover of Wheaties cereal boxes as Marty, sending custom jackets out to various celebrities, flying a themed blimp over a Tyler The Creator concert, and so much more. The idea of a Marty Supreme-specific shade of orange became a symbol of the film and slogans such as “Marty Supreme Christmas Day” became widespread across the internet.
The movie’s themes of ambition and growth leaked into the off-screen promotion, and Chalamet’s involvement as a producer, and even just as a person, made this film feel all the more authentic. Chalamet is known for his enthusiasm and ability to play his characters to their fullest potential both on and off camera and with each film he’s in, he builds his name and brand even more. He has voiced his ambitions of becoming “one of the greats” quite frequently and the way Marty Supreme reflected these values has instilled this idea of ambition into many parts of the audience and altered his image, as a result. It will be interesting to see where Chalamet’s career takes him in the future– or, rather, where he takes it.
