Timothée Chalamet reveals he spent seven years training to play table tennis champion in
Timothée Chalamet has revealed he spent seven years training in table tennis for his new film Marty Supreme.
The two-time Oscar nominated actor, 29, plays Marty Mauser, which is loosely based on the life of legendary table tennis champion Marty Reisman in 1940s New York.
Speaking with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show on Wednesday, Timothée explained he was dedicated to mastering the sport.
‘This was about a six to seven year training process. I met with [director] Josh Safdie in 2018 about this film.
‘Now, I don’t mean day in and day out, it’s more like on and off… It was a lot of training. It started during covid and ping pong is a great thing.’
Speaking with Jimmy Fallon (right) on The Tonight Show on Wednesday, Timothée Chalamet (left) revealed he spent seven years training in table tennis for his new film Marty Supreme
The two-time Oscar nominated actor, 29, plays the title character, which is loosely based on the life of legendary table tennis champion Marty Reisman in 1940s New York
He added: ‘The gift of my life, the gratitude exercise. I live every morning to go “Wow. For some reason I’m getting the opportunity to work”, why not go 10,000% hard.’
Previously speaking to the BBC the A Complete Unknown star said he would ‘train as much as possible’ in his downtime and with a coach.
This included bringing a ping pong table to the desert while filming Dune and practicing between takes on the set of Wonka.
‘By the time the French Dispatch was coming out [in 2021], I was in a beautiful Airbnb on a cliffside for the Cannes Film Festival and I had a table with me… So I have a video of training with friends. It’s like a gorgeous sunset.
‘I think the responsibility in this movie, like in the Bob Dylan movie, if you were a Dylan fan or a guitar player, [is to make sure] that looks real to you on screen. Similarly here, if you’re a ping-pong aficionado, that that looks believable to you.’
Grateful for his success in Hollywood’s famously cutthroat industry, he added: ‘There’s worse things in life than having to learn how to play the guitar and play table tennis at a high level.’
Gushing about his new project with Jimmy, he urged fans to watch the film, which is set to premiere in the UK on December 26.
He said: ‘This is a movie about sacrifice in pursuit of a dream. And it’s something I can relate to deeply.
The A Complete Unknown star previously said he would ‘train as much as possible’ in his downtime and with a coach
Gushing about his new project with Jimmy, Timothée urged fans to watch the film, which is set to premiere in the UK on December 26 (pictured in a scene from the movie)
Kylie Jenner, 28, and Timothée put on a loved-up display as she joined him at the premiere of Marty Supreme in Los Angeles last week
‘We live in a bleak time, especially for young people, so this film is an attempted antidote to that.
‘And to continue to believe in yourself and to continue to dream big and to follow your dreams and not take no for an answer.
‘I’ve been a part of a lot of projects I’m very proud of. ‘This is the one, man. Marty Supreme is the one.’
The film follows Marty, an underground table tennis hustler during the 1950s who schemes, lies and cheats in order to make his dreams come true at a time when the sport was not taken seriously.
He is highly ambitious but morally dubious, delving into a complex relationship with movie star Kay Stone, who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow in her return to the big screen after a six year hiatus.
While Grammy-winning rapper Tyler, The Creator also features in the film as a taxi driver and Marty’s friend.
Last week, Timothée and girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 28, put split rumours to rest as they packed on the PDA at the Marty Supreme premiere in Los Angeles.
The mother-of-two, 28, sizzled in a jaw-dropping orange Chrome Hearts dress with a plunging neckline that drew attention to her ample cleavage.
Timothée matched her in an orange leather Chrome Hearts suit and boots.
The Oscar-nominated star – who plays champion table tennis player Marty Mauser in his latest film – also wore a Chrome Hearts ping pong paddle crossbody holder.
The two proved they are still very much in love after not being seen together in several weeks, which led to speculation that they have gone their separate ways.