A biographical drama about table tennis might not sound like box office gold, but Marty Supreme is proving everyone wrong.
The Timothée Chalamet vehicle dropped on Christmas Day and immediately captured audiences with its kinetic energy and 1950s New York swagger.
But beyond Chalamet’s magnetic performance, the film is packed with surprising faces—some famous, some obscure, and others so fleeting you’ll need to hit pause to catch them.
From NBA legends to underground musicians, acclaimed writers to real table tennis champions, here’s everyone who pops up in this star-studded period piece.
The Unexpected Sports Legends
Basketball fans got an unexpected treat when NBA Hall of Famer George “the Ice Man” Gervin appeared as Lawrence, running the most famous table tennis club in U.S. history. The San Antonio Spurs legend brings gravitas to portraying the first Black-owned business owner in Times Square.
The basketball cameos don’t stop there. During Marty’s humbling stint playing exhibition matches with the Harlem Globetrotters, both Kemba Walker and Tracy McGrady make appearances—four-time and seven-time NBA All-Stars respectively, now working in player development and sports analysis.
Perhaps most impressive is Koto Kawaguchi, who plays himself as Marty’s greatest rival, Koto Endo. The National Deaf Table Tennis champion took bronze at the 2022 Summer Deaflympics and gold in previous competitions.
Real-life Olympic table tennis player Nikhil Kumar, who competed in Tokyo 2020 and won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games, shows up as Marty’s first opponent in London. German legend Timo Boll, ranked number one in the world multiple times, also appears as Vladimir Sebek.
Music Royalty Goes Hollywood
In his feature film debut, Tyler, the Creator steals scenes as Wally, Marty’s partner in crime and best friend. The Grammy-winning artist brings surprising range to a role that requires him to hustle at ping pong tables and literally blow up gas stations.
In their best shared scene, they blow up a gas station and flee after a hustling job goes very, very wrong.
Brooklyn experimental musician and visual artist Lizzi Bougatsos—who happens to be Natasha Lyonne’s best friend—pops up briefly at a pet store counter. Rapper and producer Patrick “Wiki” Morales gets an ultra-brief appearance at Lawrence’s club, greeting Marty after another scheme goes sideways.
Writers and Cultural Icons
Larry “Ratso” Sloman landed more than just a cameo—he plays Marty’s uncle Murray throughout the film. The Rolling Stone journalist and Howard Stern collaborator spends most of his screen time begging his nephew to quit table tennis and manage his shoe store.
It doesn’t go well.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet appears as the director of Kay Stone’s vanity play, clearly unimpressed when Marty crashes his set uninvited. Travel writer and essayist Pico Iyer plays Ram Sethi, head of the International Table Tennis Association who endures Marty’s complaints about accommodations.
You’re talking to me like I’m any player off the street. I need good rest so I can win the tournament.
New Yorker staff writer Naomi Fry shows up briefly as Kay Stone’s assistant, while Philippe Petit—the French high-wire artist famous for death-defying walks between skyscrapers—announces Marty’s match against a seal in Brussels during the Globetrotters tour.
Hollywood Connections Run Deep
Levon Hawke, son of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, plays Christian, one of the unlucky guys Marty and Wally hustle at a bowling alley. Hailey Gates, whose film Atropia won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize this year, appears in the same scene trying desperately to pull her date away so they can actually bowl.
Fred Hechinger from Gladiator II and Nickel Boys plays Troy, Kay’s co-star in her theatrical disaster. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi brings his signature flamboyance as Kay’s publicist Merle, delivering one of the film’s most memorable lines comparing Kay’s acting to an uncomfortable appliance experience.
The Safdie Brothers’ Usual Suspects
Director Josh Safdie brought along several collaborators from previous projects. Gritty filmmaker Abel Ferrara—known for Bad Lieutenant and King of New York—plays Ezra, a seedy motel guest whose smelly dog Moses becomes central to one of Marty’s schemes.
Ronald Bronstein, who co-wrote and co-edited Good Time and Uncut Gems, provides voice work as someone on the phone at the Blarney Stone. Diamond District jeweler Roman Persits reprises his Uncut Gems energy as a pawn shop owner delivering bad news about stolen jewelry.
Mitchell Wenig, one of the gray-haired brothers from Uncut Gems, appears as Ezra’s sidekick Mitch. Even Todd Vulpio returns for a split-second appearance as an annoyed hotel guest.
Blink and You’ll Miss Them
Some cameos require forensic-level attention. Mariann Tepedino, Howard Stern’s biggest superfan, appears in the opening scene as a shoe store customer Marty blows off. Stephen Dachtera, a comedian-turned-lawyer who ran for judge, never shows his face—just his legs standing on a ladder fixing Marty’s bathtub damage.
Jake Braff gets maybe one second of screen time sitting at a table during the play rehearsal scene. Radio personality Ted “the Man with the Golden Voice” Williams—whose viral homeless video revitalized his career—appears briefly at Lawrence’s club offering condolences.
Sesame Street veteran Alison Bartlett, who played Gina Jefferson for nearly 30 years, provides voice work as Milton Rockwell’s receptionist.
The Business Moguls
New York grocery magnate John Catsimatidis, who owns Gristedes and D’Agostino Supermarkets, plays Christopher Galanis. His character endures Marty’s pitch about becoming “the face of the entire sport in the United States.”
Humble? Not exactly.
Former Barstool Sports contestant Luke Manley—nicknamed “Lukey Lunchbox”—plays Christopher’s son Dion, whom Marty manipulates throughout the film.
International Talent
Hungarian actor Géza Röhrig, who won acclaim for Son of Saul at Cannes, plays Béla Kletzki, one of Marty’s friends on the professional circuit. His most powerful scene comes when he shares his Holocaust survival story with Milton Rockwell.
The casting reveals Safdie’s commitment to authenticity—mixing legitimate sports champions with underground artists, Hollywood newcomers with established names, and giving each texture in this richly populated period piece.
Whether they’re onscreen for five minutes or five seconds, each cameo adds another layer to this propulsive story about ambition, hustling, and the surprisingly cutthroat world of 1950s table tennis.