Kevin O’Leary says he landed ‘Marty Supreme’ role because Josh Safdie wanted “a real asshole”
Kevin O’Leary, a businessman best known for appearing on Shark Tank, has revealed how he inexplicably landed a role in Josh Safdie‘s Marty Supreme.
The upcoming A24 movie, set to be released in cinemas on December 25th, stars Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong supremo Marty Mauser, who is on the pursuit of following his dreams in table tennis and is adamant that he will conquer the world. Gwyneth Paltrow also stars in the movie, and her character becomes entangled with Mauser.
The lead character is based loosely on the real-life story of ping-pong ace Marty Reisman, who was a hustler in New York City during the 1940s before climbing the ladder to become a great of his sport during the ’50s, which the film depicts.
While the cast features seasoned actors such as Odessa A’zion, Abel Ferrara, Safdie has also brought in musical superstar Tyler, the Creator (real name Tyler Okonma), and magician Penn Jillette. However, the casting of O’Leary, who goes by the name Mr Wonderful, is the most left-field.
In the film, O’Leary plays Mauser’s manager, and in an interview with TMZ Live, the business mogul explained how he secured the role.
He shared: “I’ve always said, if you want to keep yourself sharp, you’ve got to spend 30 per cent of your day outside of your comfort zone. So, when Josh (Safdie) and Ronnie (Bronstein), the writer, came to me with this, and they’re huge Shark Tank fans, and this story is really about the American Dream anyways, that’s really what Timmy’s doing in this, they said, ‘We’re looking for a real asshole, and you’re it.'”
O’Leary also said of his time on set: “It was a remarkable experience working with Timmy, the guy has… he’s just full of electricity. It was set in 1952, so you close your eyes before Josh yells action, and there I was in 1952, being that perfect asshole.”
Elsewhere in the interview, O’Leary elaborated on his character: “I’m Milton Rockwell, one of the wealthiest men in America, married to Gwyneth. We’re socialites in New York. Timmy’s a hustler in this movie, he’s Marty Supreme, he needs money, he needs my airplane, he needs everything I have, and it was Shark Tank 1952.”
Praising Chalamet further, O’Leary said, “I think he’ll get nominated for an Oscar for this one, this is his movie.”
Marty Supreme is set for release on Christmas Day.
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