From teenage rapper (‘Lil Timmy Tim’) to Hollywood icon, Timothée Chalamet has always aimed high, so it seems perfectly apt that the Dune star would tackle the role of an ambitious ping-pong prodigy with lofty aspirations of global domination. We’re talking about the upcoming A24 movie Marty Supreme, of course. And we’re chatting with the acclaimed actor about dreaming big ahead of the film’s global release.
“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,” Chalamet tells GamesRadar+ during an exclusive interview in Los Angeles.
“In my late teens to early 20s to mid 20s, I feel that’s the time in life where you chase something. And then I feel like people settle down, or whatever. I'm not [talking about] traditional family values, I'm saying it metaphorically, but I feel like it's given me an opportunity to triple down – not double down but triple down – on the initial promise of the life I sought out.”
The smile broadens across his face: “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.”
The 29-year-old is friendly, enthusiastic, and thoughtful as he chats away beside the rooftop pool of the plush Maybourne Hotel in Beverly Hills. “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,” he continues, speaking about his acting aspirations.
“It’s a relentless attitude to have in your early 20s, so it doesn't mean you're megalomaniacal or delusional – but there are bellwethers. As I’ve grown, no matter how cheesy this sounds, [I’m grateful for] the gift of every day, the gift to be alive, and the gift to work at a high level.”
With a critically-acclaimed mix of blockbuster movies and indie hits under his belt – including Call Me By Your Name, A Complete Unknown and the Dune franchise – why did Chalamet sign up for an unconventional underdog sports movie? The answer is simple. “The appeal of this was to work with Josh Safdie,” he explains.
“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.”
The actor candidly opens up about his vulnerabilities as he continues: “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.”
After Marty Supreme finished filming, Chalamet leapt back into blockbuster territory with Dune 3 – and was thankful that the two characters were “vastly” different. “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?’”
In the background, a bright orange Marty Supreme blimp hovers above the Los Angeles skyline, but that doesn’t take Chalamet away from his thoughts: “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.”
Audiences have a bit of a wait until the December 2026 release of the third Dune film, but Marty Supreme is just around the corner. With awards buzz circling Chalamet for his role as the uber-ambitious Marty Mauser, there’s clearly a lot more to come in this story. Bring it on.
Marty Supreme releases in US theaters on December 25, and UK cinemas on December 26. Dune: Part Three is scheduled for release in December 2026. For more, check out our list of the 25 best movies of 2025, or look ahead to the upcoming movies heading your way in 2026.
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