Marty Supreme is a film filled with humor, drama, sports action and over-the-top situations. Yet at its core, the Josh Safdie-directed film is about one man’s pursuit of greatness within the world of athletics. Lead actor Timothée Chalamet – who’s been honest about wanting to be great – seemed to connect with his character, Marty Mauser, in that ambitious respect. Considering Chalamet’s own drive, I’m not too surprised he was able to slide into this role, but what I didn’t expect was for him to share that Michael Jordan inspired his approach.
When it comes to professional athletes, Michael Jordan remains a revered individual for his incredible drive and determination, which helped make the ‘90s-era Chicago Bulls the team to beat in the NBA. Timothée Chalamet expressed his own reverence for Jordan while appearing on an episode of 7PM in Brooklyn (which is on YouTube). During the interview, talk eventually turned to comparing successes amongst different disciplines, leading Chalamet to share his experience with a certain basketball documentary:
That’s why The Last Dance was the most influential piece of art from Marty Supreme more than any other movie or whatever. But the Jordan tenacity, the pursuit of greatness, even the fact that he was an asshole.
A ten-part docuseries, 2020’s The Last Dance chronicles the Bulls’ 1997-1998 season, which culminates in them winning their sixth, and as of this writing, final championship. The show (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription) also provides an in-depth look at MJ’s mentality and arguably exemplifies just why he’s considered one of the strongest athletes to ever live. The show received acclaim amid its debut, and it ultimately won a Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
I may not have been expecting Chalamet to bring up Jordan when discussing how Marty Supreme came together, but it actually does make sense. First and foremost, Chalamet is a big basketball fan, so much so that he’d love to play Ernie Johnson in an Inside the NBA biopic. Secondly, Jordan approached his work with a considerable amount of dedication and intensity, which can also be said of Marty Mauser’s devotion to table tennis. While speaking to the notion of possibly being “too intense” on set, Chalamet also made an argument:
At a time too, speaking about cultural sensitivity of liking hip hop and all that, and also cultural sensitivity about like ‘Oh, you don’t want anything to leak from a set that you were being too intense.’ But then you see The Last Dance and go, ‘Wait a second, this guy was intense.’ You know, the same thing with Kobe.
The late Kobe Bryant did indeed have that same level of intensity, and part of that was born out of him studying Michael Jordan’s game and mentality. It’s easy to say that served Bryant well, and the same can be said about Chalamet’s preparation for Marty Supreme, which has been praised. Chalamet himself has also been lauded for his performance and has already scooped up a Critics’ Choice Award and been honored amongst the 2026 Golden Globe winners.
While it’s fair to say that Marty Mauser is a relatively terrible person, his drive is undeniable, and his never-say-die mindset is definitely on par with that of Michael Jordan and other great athletes. At this point, I can imagine Timothée Chalamet continuing to channel Jordan in the way that he approaches his work. See the fruits of his labor in his latest film by seeing Marty Supreme, which is now playing in theaters.
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