Gwyneth Paltrow and Timothée Chalamet starring in 'Marty Supreme'.
Image: X/@pvt_tchalamet
After years of building her lifestyle empire, the Oscar-winning actress is stepping back into the spotlight, but this time it’s not for a clean beauty launch or a candle that smells like something we probably shouldn’t talk about.
No, Paltrow is here to turn on the sex tap in "Marty Supreme", a ping-pong drama that promises more than just fast serves and smashes. It’s got heat, and we're not just talking about on the court.
Paltrow is set to star as the wife of a rival professional player caught up in a steamy affair with Timothée Chalamet, who plays the film’s rising ping-pong star.
This pairing of Paltrow and Chalamet might raise a few eyebrows. While fans have seen Paltrow embrace roles that mix elegance with seduction, like in "Shakespeare in Love" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley", the pairing with a much younger Chalamet calls to mind another recent, controversial age-gap relationship in film; Jenna Ortega’s role in "Miller’s Girl".
In that film, Ortega’s portrayal of a younger woman caught up in a romantic affair with an older man stirred up strong reactions from viewers and critics.
Much like the film, "Marty Supreme" seems to explore the dynamics of power and attraction in a relationship where the age gap might challenge audience expectations.
In a recent "Vanity Fair" interview, Paltrow spilt the tea on her latest steamy role, revealing that the film features a lot of intimate scenes - "a lot, a lot," to be precise.
The two characters have “a lot of sex in this movie”. Brace yourselves, this may or may not be cringe.
She explains that her character, married to someone in the “ping pong mafia,” finds herself drawn into a complex, almost transactional relationship with Chalamet’s character. It’s a breath of life she’s been craving but also a tangled web of desire and consequences.
And the paparazzi certainly caught on to the sparks flying between Paltrow and Chalamet on set. Fans couldn’t get enough of the steamy kiss they shared in a scene, but according to Paltrow, that’s just the beginning.
If the set photos had people talking, the film itself is sure to turn heads.
The film also introduces a new concept to Paltrow: the intimacy coordinator. While this role has become standard in Hollywood today, it wasn’t part of the industry when Paltrow first started her career.
Paltrow, ever the trailblazer, admitted that this was her first time working with one.
When the coordinator on set for “Marty Supreme” asked Paltrow if she’d be OK with a particular interaction, she recalled, “I was like, ‘Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on'.”
However, Chalamet and her were so comfortable that they didn’t need much guidance.
We said, ‘I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back,’” Paltrow added, with that signature humour.
Paltrow jokingly added, "I was like, ‘Okay, great. I’m 109 years old. You’re 14." That is probably not going to age well with all the things going on in Hollyweird (Hollywood).
Directed by Josh Safdie, "Marty Supreme" was already on the radar for movie buffs. But now, with the surprising chemistry between Paltrow and Chalamet, this film is about to become one of the most talked-about releases of the year.