- - Is Timothée Chalamet’s "Marty Supreme" Based on a True Story?

India RobyDecember 30, 2025 at 12:33 AM

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The True Story Behind Marty Supreme A24

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Timothée Chalamet stars in Marty Supreme—a sports drama set in 1950s New York City that follows Marty Mauser, a pompous hustler on a mission to pursue his ping-pong dreams by any means necessary. The A24 film, directed by Josh Safdie, is loosely based on American table tennis champion Marty Reisman, a player so gifted that he boasts the nickname “The Needle.” But who is Marty Reisman, and how does the movie live up to his legacy? Here’s everything you about the true story behind Marty Supreme, including Reisman’s personal life and more.

Who is Marty Reisman?

Reisman was an award-winning table tennis player. He was born as Martin Reisman to Russian Jewish immigrants in 1930 and grew up in a low-income household in New York City’s Lower East Side. Reisman discovered his affinity for table tennis as a child, telling Forbes in a 2005 interview that he learned how to play at a local community center after suffering from a nervous breakdown at nine years old.

Initially, Reisman found table tennis to be “an escape,” and not long after, he became competitive. At 13 years old, Reisman became the city’s junior champion and began playing for cash at Lawrence’s Broadway Table Tennis Club. There, he developed an aggressive yet flashy playing style that included the “Atomic Blast,” his famous 115-mile-per-hour forehand shot. “My plan invariably was to slam and slam and make the opponent run and exhaust himself,” he wrote decades later in his autobiography.

Marty Reisman practicing table tennis in 1948. Bettmann - Getty ImagesMarty Supreme is based on Reisman’s autobiography.

Marty Supreme is based on Reisman’s 1974 autobiography The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler. According to Rolling Stone, film producer Sara Rossein found Reisman’s book at a thrift store a few years ago, gifting it to her husband, filmmaker Josh Safdie, as a potential source of inspiration. It eventually birthed Marty Supreme, which is neither a biopic or adaptation, but a narrative springboard that inspired Safdie and screenwriter Ronald Bronstein to create their own high-stakes storyline of ping-pong hustlers.

Yes, Reisman actually played for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Similar to Chalamet’s character in the film, Reisman was part of the Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team. From 1949 to 1951, Reisman traveled around the world as the opening act. His signature showman tricks involved slicing cigarettes in half and playing table tennis with various items instead of a paddle.

Reisman was suspended from the US table tennis team.

Reisman, a self-proclaimed “money player,” was known for placing bets—mainly, on himself. He deceived his opponents, per Defector, by placing high wagers, intentionally losing the first few games, and then showing off his true skills.

But his hustling reputation caught up to him. At 15 years old, Reisman placed a $500 bet on himself at a national tournament in Detroit, mistakenly handing the money to the head of the United States Table Tennis Association (USTTA) instead of a bookie. Police officers reportedly escorted him out of the tournament.

As depicted in Marty Supreme, Reisman was suspended by the USTTA and banned from the US Team. After winning the 1949 British Open, it was revealed that he forced tournament organizers and sponsors to cover his lavish expenses.

Reisman went on to achieve success in table tennis.

Despite his tumultuous career, Reisman went on to win a slew of titles, earning a total of 22 national and international titles before his retirement from competitive table tennis in 2002. In addition to the 1949 British Open, his most notable achievements include the US Open in 1958 and 1960 for men’s singles, and the US Hardbat Championship in 1997, becoming the oldest player to win an open national competition in a racket sport at 67 years old.

Since the late 1950s, Reisman operated the Riverside Table Tennis Courts, attracting regulars including actor-slash-filmmaker Dustin Hoffman, writer Kurt Vonnegut, and playwright David Mamet, among many others. In December 2012, Reisman died of heart and lung complications. He was 82 years old.

Timothée Chalamet was always Marty Mauser in Safdie’s Eyes.

Safdie’s decision to cast Timothée Chalamet as the film’s titular character, Marty Mauser, was intentional, given Chalamet’s unconventional nature. Safdie told the Financial Times that he has had an eye on the actor since his breakout role in the 2017 romance Call Me By Your Name. “He was this restless dreamer, with an incredible bottled energy, and a vision for himself,” he said. “That fascinated me as he became a star…And I was shocked filmmakers didn’t explore that side of him. To me, he was always Timmy Supreme.”

As for his appearance, Chalamet underwent a full transformation for Marty Supreme. With the help of costume designer Miyako Bellizzo, makeup artist Kyra Panchenko, and special effects designer Mike Fontaine, Chalamet’s look in the film included “acne-scarred prosthetics, a unibrow, a wispy dirtbag mustache, faded scars, vision-degrading contact lenses, and period-authentic oversize trousers and strappy tank tops,” per Elle. Safdie’s longtime vision for Chalamet’s “preternaturally unblemished complexion” reveals Marty’s “rough life on the streets of the Lower East Side.” According to Fontaine, the team gave him “a lived-in, raw look and created an unrecognizable Timothée.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”