If the name Timothée Chalamet means anything to you, you might have found yourself becoming increasingly familiar with ping-pong balls, the color orange, Zoom calls, exclusive jackets, and EsDeeKid over these past few months. However, if you happen to be one of the few who have somehow managed to avoid the brilliant, never-ending promotion of Chalamet’s recent film, Marty Supreme, rest assured, this will all make sense soon enough.
All you really need to know is that Chalamet is making history in more ways than one with Marty Supreme. His seven-year dedication to becoming Marty Mausser is no doubt as admirable and phenomenal as the performance itself. However, it’s arguably the insanely clever marketing that has caught everyone’s attention online.
The first promotional post made by Chalamet for Marty Supreme, a film that tells the story of a young, confident ping-pong player in pursuit of greatness, appeared on his Instagram this past August. It seems that Chalamet was quite inspired by the message of his movie, as most of the promotion that followed this first announcement has heavily centered around the idea that Chalamet is also on his own journey of pursuing greatness.
This was made evident to the public when Chalamet took the stage last February, before Marty Supreme’s official promotion began, to accept the SAG Award for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. In his speech, he made it clear that this is only the beginning of his success (and the marketing for Marty Supreme). Award in hand, Chalamet stated, “I’m in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats.”
Outside of the award scene, Chalamet’s mindset has remained firm, even in the most unserious moments. In a pre-filmed Zoom call, Chalamet exclaimed to the marketing campaigners for Marty Supreme, “In most movie marketing, things are kind of passive, right? We’re trying to be chic? We’re not trying to be chic. We’re planting our flag. We are Marty Mausser. We are Marty Supreme. Right?” Although the nearly twenty-minute video is a clear skit, it still manages to get Chalamet’s point across — he intends for Marty Supreme to be the moment.
In the same video, Chalamet mirrors his computer screen onto the call — which ironically reveals a picture of him giving the previously mentioned SAG Award speech as his background — so that he can share a small square image of a “very specific orange” that has become the association for Marty Supreme, much like how, as Chalamet pointed out, pink was associated with the 2023 movie Barbie.
As intended by Chalamet, this idea has worked heavily in his favor through the inclusion of the color in nearly all his marketing promotions, with other examples being his Marty Supreme premiere attire and Marty Supreme jackets that TikTok can’t get enough of. Perhaps it’s the idea of owning the same jacket that celebrities such as Tom Brady, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, and Kylie Jenner also own that makes the jacket so sought after, but it could also be the fact that the Marty Supreme jacket had extremely limited sales, making it one-of-a-kind and highly valuable.
Various users on TikTok have made videos about the jacket, with some explaining their experience in attaining it at one of the few Marty Supreme pop-up shops in areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and London, while others have taken the opportunity to shamelessly show off their exclusive jacket in a “fit check.”
Interestingly, nearly every video featuring the jacket or, in some cases, just Chalamet or Marty Supreme in general, has EsDeeKid’s song “4Raws” as the sound for the video. This is significant to the promotion of Marty Supreme due to past rumors of the Liverpool-born rapper being an alternate persona of Timothée Chalamet. This rumor started after TikTok users began to point out how similar Chalamet’s eyes are to EsDeeKid’s, which are the only features of the rapper that are visible to the public. Many users contemplated the logistics of this being possible, with some concluding that this would be perfectly on brand for Chalamet, who has become known for his extremities in promoting Marty Supreme. Much to the internet’s surprise, though, this did not turn out to be a shocking Hannah Montana-esque reveal, but instead, something much better.
On Dec. 19, Chalamet posted a surprise music video to a “4Raws” remix, on which he is featured. The video begins with EsDeeKid mid-rap when Chalamet enters the frame, dressed extremely similarly to the rapper as they begin to dance together at various locations. Chalamet ends his opening verse with the iconic lines: “Since 2017, I’m living the dream” — a clear nod to the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name that earned him an Oscar nomination at only 22 — “I’m getting the cream. I’m living on theme. I’m doing my thing. It’s Marty Supreme. It’s Marty Supreme. It’s Marty Supreme.” Not only is the remix extremely catchy, but it’s also a true testament to Chalamet’s range and dedication to his craft.
Now, with the Oscars right around the corner and the internet continuously buzzing about the competitiveness of this year’s Best Actor category, who knows what other huge, unexpected risks Chalamet is willing to take in pursuit of greatness and keeping the legacy of Marty Supreme alive? There certainly has been a large discussion on social media about whether or not it should finally be Chalamet’s turn to take home the Oscar after previously being “snubbed” once before. Ultimately, it all comes down to the academy, and although Chalamet has already taken home both the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy this year, there is always the possibility that Chalamet could walk away from the Oscars empty-handed once again.