Timothée Chalamet has gone to great lengths to authentically portray professional ping-pong player Marty Reisman, so much so that he was actually spanked by his co-star Kevin O’Leary in the film Marty Supreme.
The 2025 sports drama features the 29-year-old actor performing his scenes without a body double. As a result, the Dune star willingly endured the spanking scene himself, allowing O’Leary to carry it out on camera for the sake of realism.
What Is Timothée Chalamet’s Brutal Scene in Marty Supreme?
Chalamet appears in a brutal scene in Marty Supreme in which his character pleads with wealthy power broker Milton Rockwell (O’Leary) to finance a high-stakes table tennis rematch in Japan against his rival, Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi), after previously turning down Rockwell’s offer.
Before agreeing to help, however, the tycoon demands payback – insisting that Reisman allow himself to be spanked in front of a crowd.
Although the scene was initially meant to be filmed using a stunt double due to its severity, Chalamet insisted on performing it himself rather than using a body double.
“We had a stand-in ass and a fake paddle that supposedly wouldn’t put the full force,” O’Leary told Business Insider. “All of a sudden, Chalamet came on set and said, ‘No, if this a** is going to be immortalized, it’s my a**.’”
Surprised, O’Leary attempted to dissuade Chalamet, warning him about the physical consequences. However, the actor remained determined and pushed through with the decision.
“I said, ‘Look, man, your a** is gonna be blistered. Let the stand-in a** do it,’” O’Leary recalled. “He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘I can’t hold back. I’m gonna have to whack you’re a**.’ He said, ‘I don’t give a sh*t.’”
The prop paddle reportedly snapped almost immediately, forcing O’Leary to use a real one. Chalamet endured more than a dozen hits during filming.
To heighten the realism, director Josh Safdie encouraged the use of a real paddle to elicit a genuine reaction.
“Josh kept saying, ‘Harder! Harder!’ And the take where you see Chalamet’s face explode. I really whacked his ass. That’s what ended up in the movie,” O’Leary added.
What Did Josh Safdie Say About Timothée Chalamet’s Performance in Marty Supreme?
Director Josh Safdie praised Chalamet for fully immersing himself in the role of Marty Reisman.
Safdie said he immediately saw the Franco-American actor as a perfect fit for the character, noting that Chalamet was committed to the role from their very first meeting, sensing “a different kind of energy.”
“He couldn’t stand still,” Safdie said. “He had really intense energy. He had this idea of himself. He was Timmy Supreme.”
Loosely inspired by Reisman’s life and career, Chalamet described the film as being about “sacrifice and the pursuit of a dream,” as well as an effort “to continue to dream big.”
Marty Supreme was released in theaters on December 25.
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