Timothée Chalamet Made Himself Blind for A24 Sports Drama ‘Marty Supreme’

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To fully embody the character of Marty in the sports comedy-drama Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet committed to the role in a surprising way – he temporarily induced a form of limited vision. The film features Chalamet as a professional ping pong player who relies on glasses, and director Josh Safdie supported Chalamet’s dedication to realistically portraying someone who can’t see clearly without them. They achieved this by progressively adding multiple layers to his glasses, gradually reducing his vision during filming.

According to Variety, director Safdie recently discussed his new A24 film, featuring Timothée Chalamet, Fran Drescher, Tyler, the Creator, and Odessa A’zion, at a public event. He explained that Chalamet, who wore genuine prescription lenses for his character, told him he was comfortable with the intense attention—feeling like he was “in a fishbowl”—and was willing to do whatever Safdie asked. Safdie went on to detail how the combination of contact lenses and glasses contributed to Chalamet’s character’s look.

We previously told him we’d put strong contact lenses in his eyes – plus ten – and then put very strong negative lenses in his glasses. The idea was that if his glasses fell off, he wouldn’t be able to see anything. He called me and said, ‘I already have the strong contacts in, and I’m feeling really dizzy.’

To make the character feel authentic, director Safdie insisted on details like realistic prescription eyewear. He also wanted prosthetics and makeup to create a lived-in look, which makeup artist Michael Fontaine achieved by adding freckles and acne scars to Timothée Chalamet’s face. Safdie explained that these details made Chalamet appear as someone who had been in fights and grown up on the streets. Chalamet’s co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, was also impressed, noting she was surprised by the subtle, realistic details of the makeup, like the acne scars.

‘Marty Supreme’ Is Generating Huge Oscar Buzz for Timothée Chalamet


A24

I just got a sneak peek at Marty Supreme, the new biopic hitting screens in 2025, and it’s a fascinating look at the world of 1950s New York table tennis. Timothée Chalamet delivers a compelling performance as Marty Mauser, a young player with big dreams of going pro. The film is inspired by the life of real-life American player Marty Reisman, but takes some creative liberties. What really excites me is that it’s directed by Josh Safdie, and the script is a collaboration with Ronald Bronstein – these two previously brought us the intensely gripping Uncut Gems and Good Time, so you know it’s going to be a ride.

Timothée Chalamet didn’t just rely on makeup and prosthetics to prepare for his role. He trained with ping-pong expert Diego Schaaf, learning the proper techniques and even choreographing the matches you see in the film. He then faced off against real table tennis champion Koto Kawaguchi on screen. Chalamet felt a lot of pressure to convincingly portray a skilled competitor against Kawaguchi, and he took it as a responsibility to accurately represent the sport and its fans.

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Timothée Chalamet’s performance is already generating Oscar predictions. He’s been nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and the film itself has also been nominated for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay. This isn’t Chalamet’s first award recognition; he previously received Oscar nominations for his roles in Call Me By Your Name and A Complete Unknown. If nominated again, it would be his third Academy Award nomination.

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2025-12-29 20:05