Ping-Pong Prodigy: Timothée Chalamet's Secret Passion Revealed

In a surprising revelation, it has come to light that Timothée Chalamet, the 29-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, was once a table tennis pro before finding fame in the movie industry. Chalamet, who is set to star in the upcoming film "Marty Supreme," directed by Josh Safdie, has been secretly practicing the sport for years, even while working on other high-profile projects.

According to Chalamet, the role of Marty Mauser, the film's protagonist, is the "most who I was that I've had to play a role," as it is inspired by the life of real-life Jewish American table tennis pioneer Marty Reisman, who passed away in 2012. Chalamet began taking ping-pong lessons as early as 2018 near his New York City home and continued his training throughout his many other buzzy projects, including "Dune," "Wonka," and "The French Dispatch."

The actor's relentless drive to bring table tennis into the mainstream and achieve greatness in the sport resonates with his own personal journey. "Some people are fortunate enough to stumble into their success or be passive about their pursuit of whatever they want to do in life," Chalamet said. "That wasn't it for me. For me, it was putting in the 10,000 hours. It was dropping out of college. It was taking a risk."