Timothée Chalamet on Ambition, Marty Supreme, and Dune 3
Timothée Chalamet reflects on his bold new role in Marty Supreme and how it contrasts with his return to the Dune universe, offering a candid look at his evolving career and mindset.
From his early days as 'Lil Timmy Tim' to his current status as a leading figure in cinema, Timothée Chalamet has never been one to shy away from grand ambitions. It’s only fitting, then, that he should take on the part of a driven table tennis prodigy with world-conquering dreams in the much-anticipated A24 film, Marty Supreme. Ahead of the film’s release, Chalamet sat down to discuss the art of aiming high and the unique challenges of his latest roles.
Chasing Ambition and Embracing Vulnerability
Reflecting on his formative years, Chalamet shares,
“I feel like I was a huge dreamer in my mid-teens to late teens – maybe to a degree that I didn’t really feel the people around me doing.”
He grins, recalling his relentless drive:
“It’s like, ‘Alright, do you want to take the foot off the accelerator pedal a little bit? Do you want to go in neutral or whatever the metaphor is? And I’m hitting the f*cking gas pedal, for better or worse.”
Now 29, he speaks with a mix of enthusiasm and introspection, perched beside a rooftop pool in Beverly Hills.
Chalamet continues,
“I feel like in my mid-20s, I had a good growing experience as far as thinking there’s some candy at the top of the mountain or some indicator of achievement.”
With a career spanning both major blockbusters and independent gems, he’s no stranger to the pressures of expectation.
Why Marty Supreme?
So, what drew him to a sports drama centred on an underdog? The answer, he says, is straightforward:
“The appeal of this was to work with Josh Safdie.”
For Chalamet, the film is less about table tennis and more about the universal experience of striving against the odds.
“Okay, this is through the lens of a table tennis movie, but really, it’s about someone who’s got enormous dreams, but he’s living life as the underdog whose only resources, whose only support system – whose only foundation – is himself. Certainly, a lot of people in their late teens and early 20s can relate to that. I certainly can.”
He opens up about the solitude that can come with ambition:
“In my early 20s, when I was pursuing an acting career, you go, ‘Man, I know the person believing the most in me right now is me.’ That is a weird hall to hear your thoughts echo in. It’s a lonely [place]. If you have a fast-paced mind like myself, it leaves a lot of room for self-doubt at times.”
Switching Gears: From Indie Drama to Sci-Fi Epic
Once filming wrapped on Marty Supreme, Chalamet returned to the grand scale of Dune: Part Three. He admits he was relieved that the two roles were so distinct.
“Had the roles been similar, it might have been more complicated. I’d have thought, ‘Oh, man… How do I not let these roles bleed into each other?’”
As a bright orange Marty Supreme blimp floats above Los Angeles, Chalamet reflects on the contrast:
“They are such different roles and the tones of the film couldn’t be more different. A high-wire, Safdie brother, New York, 1950s period piece about a borderline delusional, ambitious character in contrast to a Denis Villeneuve sci-fi epic space opera.”
Looking Ahead
Audiences will have to wait until December 2026 for the next chapter in the Dune saga, but Marty Supreme is set to arrive much sooner. With awards speculation already swirling around his portrayal of Marty Mauser, Chalamet’s journey is far from over. Marty Supreme lands in US cinemas on 25 December, and in the UK a day later.