Semi-pro table tennis player lands role in Timothée Chalamet film Marty Supreme after Zoom audition

Josh Bennett, a 26-year-old semi-professional table tennis player from Leamington Spa, UK, never expected his casual response to a casting call from Table Tennis England to result in a role in the acclaimed film Marty Supreme. Initially aiming for a background extra spot, Bennett submitted a video audition from his bed via Zoom for the minor character Ted Bailey and was surprisingly selected. He was flown to New York to film scenes, including competing in a depicted Wembley championship and other sequences. Bennett rehearsed intensively with star Timothée Chalamet and actor Koto Kawaguchi to ensure authentic table tennis portrayal, noting Chalamet’s seven-year dedication to mastering the sport for the role. The film, a semi-fictionalized biopic inspired by post-war table tennis legend Marty Reisman and directed by Josh Safdie, is set in the 1950s and features an older ‘hardbat’ style of play with explosive movements and limited spin. Bennett, from a table tennis family, had to adapt to this vintage technique. Since the film’s December 2025 release, which has earned Chalamet major awards like Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice for Best Actor and garnered 11 Bafta nominations including Best Film, Bennett reports a significant surge in public interest in the sport. Friends and acquaintances have organized casual games inspired by the movie, and he hopes it boosts attendance at the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships in London. Bennett expresses strong support for the film’s continued awards success, particularly for Chalamet and Best Picture.