Five years ago, when the sci-fi epic Dune hit theaters in China, many fans were delighted by a brief but memorable moment: actor Chang Chen, playing Dr Wellington Yueh, whispers in Chinese to Timothee Chalamet's noble heir, Paul Atreides.
In that scene, Chinese functions almost like a private code — a secret language shared between the two characters, allowing Yueh to pass along a pivotal message without being overheard.
Interestingly, the Hollywood superstar has demonstrated his talent for speaking Chinese again — and this time, with even more enthusiasm, immersing himself in local culture.
A dozen days before the release of his latest outing, the sports comedydrama Marty Supreme — scheduled to open in the Chinese mainland this Friday — Chalamet embarked on his first visit to the country, quickly stirring an online storm with his arrival in Chengdu, the capital city known for its slow-paced lifestyle in Sichuan province, and Beijing.
Intense, whirlwind, and unexpectedly down-to-earth — that was the tone of his journey. During those few days, he seemed to pop up frequently on Chinese social media. In Chengdu, he wandered into a park and watched seniors square dancing — a popular form of entertainment and exercise enjoyed by retired people in the country.
With his name sounding phonetically similar to "sweet tea" in Chinese, Chalamet also sipped a variety of distinctive local drinks, from gaiwan cha (covered-bowl tea) in Chengdu, whose history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), to douzhi, a traditional fermented mung bean drink, in Beijing.
Loosely based on the life of Marty Reisman, a legendary American table tennis champion in the 1950s, the film adopts an exaggerated tone to follow Marty Mauser, a 23-year-old shoe salesman and aspiring table tennis player. He risks everything to pursue his dream, despite experiencing a series of absurd events — from having affairs with two married women to blackmailing an elderly man by demanding a high ransom for information about his missing dog, and even enduring public humiliation by dropping his pants so a tycoon could hit him in exchange for financial support.
At the heart of Marty Mauser's journey — despite his controversial behavior — is an unyielding passion for ping pong, a theme that also became a key element during Chalamet's promotional tour in China.
One of his most-viewed recent videos shows Chalamet standing behind a street vendor's stall, selling hairy tofu and cutting it into pieces with a table tennis racket. Many Chinese fans could hardly believe their eyes. The star, long seen as distant, appeared so far removed from his previous screen image that some jokingly said they initially thought the clip had been generated by artificial intelligence.
His surprising moments in China didn't stop there — they included taking a subway ride like any exhausted Chinese worker after a long day at work, excitedly calling out Olympic table tennis champion Sun Yingsha's name to purchase her poster at a small shop, writing the Chinese calligraphic characters for the wish to earn gold, and urging moviegoers to "buy tickets" in fluent Chinese.
Chalamet, who revealed that he had personally thought of traveling to China eight years ago, says that Beijing feels more like what he imagined a capital city to be, while Chengdu has a beautifully relaxed pace of life.
Director Josh Safdie, who joined Chalamet at the Beijing premiere, described the Chinese capital as a fascinating ancient city that also feels like it belongs in the future.
"I also bought a small book on Chinese medicine. My father quit smoking through acupuncture when I was a little kid, and I have since then forever believed in Eastern medicine," added Safdie.
Before its release in China — the world's second-largest film market — Marty Supreme had grossed $179 million at the global box office, making Chalamet the youngest-ever winner of the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy award at the Golden Globes.
However, the film failed to win any of the nine awards it was nominated for at the 98th Academy Awards on Monday. What may further dampen its prospects in China is its presale box office, which is currently the lowest among the three upcoming Hollywood releases — the first being Pixar's animated feature Hoppers, followed by the sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling.
After a three-day limited advance screening in China from March 13 to 15, the film scored 7.3 out of 10 on Douban, a major review platform. Audience responses have been mixed.
Renowned director Xie Fei shared his thoughts on Douban, describing the film as "a rare foreign movie about table tennis". But the 83-year-old filmmaker, known for his sharp critiques, commented that the movie is largely a showcase for Chalamet's performance.
"Everything revolves around this 'scrappy young man fighting to win a championship'. The plot is packed with events, yet it fails to capture the character's inner drive, growth, or the moral complexities of human nature. It's watchable, but hardly praiseworthy," Xie writes.
