“Marty Supreme”: Timo appears alongside Timothée

When he was still at school, Timo Boll was in a drama club and even played some of the lead roles. Now 45, Timo admits that he was never a really talented actor, however. His strengths lie more in the world of sport: for decades, the German was one of the world’s best table tennis players, topped multiple international rankings, was the record European champion and won medals at the world championships and Olympic Games. In China, which dominates this fastest of all racquet sports, Boll was jokingly known as “public enemy number one”. He ended his career in 2025. But now Boll has had to draw on his acting skills again: he took on a minor role in a blockbuster that has received nine nominations for the 2026 Oscars.

From “public enemy” in China to a film debut in New York

In “Marty Supreme”, a completely crazy story inspired by the life of American table tennis player Marty Reisman, Boll plays Vladimir Sebek, a Czech who is beaten by the protagonist at the British Open in the early 1950s. The German engages in a one-sided duel with Timothée Chalamet, who plays the lead role - only one rally of it is shown, after which he congratulates the winner and praises him for playing well. Boll explains that after two weeks spent shooting the film in New York, he had to rerecord this one phrase - though not only in German. He was also asked to “spontaneously” supply a version in English. At the time he was on a golf-playing tour with a friend, “so I ended up doing it in my campervan at a motorway services”, recalls Boll.

Director Josh Safdie is a fan of Boll

The table tennis star was immediately “up for it” when he got the call from Josh Safdie – in which the director even outed himself as a fan. Boll then prepared for his role by practising with a plain uncovered wooden bat of the type players used in the past. “I didn’t want to be laughed at for being the great table tennis pro who can’t play a single ball,” says Boll. His skills were in great demand on set: everyone in the “cool crew” wanted to pit themselves against him during breaks in filming. Sometimes, when he was playing rallies and doing trick shots with a partner in the background, everyone would down tools and watch. 

30-year-old Chalamet, who Boll knew from the films “Dune” and “Wonka”, hugely impressed the athlete. He explains that the actor really adopted Reisman’s facial expressions and body language, and also asked him a lot about table tennis. The two of them had to learn five set-piece rallies that were filmed in one take; Boll’s typical hand-switch was incorporated into the choreography, as was a two-handed backstroke by Hugo Calderano, currently ranked the world’s fourth best player. However, Boll had to forego his usual spin shots and change his movements so that everything would look good for the camera. “I was told right from the outset that I wasn’t allowed to win any points,” says the ambitious sportsman. He also said he was told off once for having a bit of a “histrionic fit” and was told not to “overact”.

Oscar awards ceremony: “This time I’m a bit excited”

There was a week of rehearsals before the first shoot, and Boll was styled to ensure that he wouldn’t be easily recognisable on screen. He only had one set of clothes, however; by the end his outfit was so drenched in sweat “that I wouldn’t have been able to wear it again”. Some scenes required as many as 25 takes. Boll praised the painstaking degree of detail that went into making everything look authentic - he’s no stranger to such perfection, as top-level sport is also about getting even the tiniest details right.

When it was time to say goodbye, Chalamet Boll wrote a dedication to him on the cover of his original copy of the screenplay, and he was allowed to take one of the bats home with him. He definitely plans to watch the Oscar awards ceremony live on television. “I’d like to invite a few friends round to join me,” he said, but admits that an invitation like that “wouldn’t prove particularly popular” given that the show begins in the middle of the night in Germany. He explains that he has tended to nod off during the ceremony in the past, “but this time I’m a bit excited”.

He’s keeping his fingers crossed for the entire team. “No matter which Oscar is awarded to ‘Marty Supreme’,” smiles Boll: “It will also be partly mine.”