Tyler, the Creator Explains Why He’s ‘Beyond Grateful’ for First Acting Role in ‘Marty Supreme’

Tyler, the Creator says he’s not an actor, but that will change on Christmas Day when he makes his feature film debut alongside Timothée Chalamet in the Josh Safdie-directed Marty Supreme.

Marty Supreme had a surprise premiere on Monday night (Oct. 6) at NYC’s Lincoln Center for the New York Film Festival, and much of the cast hit the stage to speak about the A24 movie, which has drawn critical acclaim.

“Thank you to you, Josh. Please make the biggest noise for this man,” Tyler said while nodding to the director, Josh Safdie. “I’m so grateful, beyond grateful. I play piano and put on cool clothes. I do not act at all.”

The multi-hyphenate creative explained that he had so much trust in Safdie that he would’ve shown up for any role he had carved out for him in the film and he was overcome with emotion after seeing it all come together.

“This man is so good that I trusted him and said, ‘Anything you need. I don’t want to read this script. I will show up and be there.’ Because I trust this man and the way he curated and handled every detail,” he gushed. “And the team, working with y’all, it was so wonderful. I got emotional up there because you gave me a chance, so I thank you, I love you, and thank you. Please give it up.”

Starring opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, Chalamet is slated to play Marty Mauser (a role seemingly inspired by professional ping pong player Marty Reisman), who’s an aspiring ping-pong player with dreams of stardom. Set in the 1950s, Mauser won’t stop until he makes his dream a reality.

The Dune star began taking ping pong lessons in 2018, and made sure he could practice with a ping pong table nearby throughout many of his recent acting projects.

Tyler makes a few cameos in the film’s trailer, which finds him driving around Chalamet, as he pursues his dream and even screams at him during a contentious scene.

It’s Josh Safdie’s first time directing since 2019’s Uncut Gems. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, Fran Drescher, magician Penn Jillette, Abel Ferrara and Odessa A’zion. Tyler, the Creator has made appearances in the Jackass series and Pharrell’s Piece by Piece, but Marty Supreme will serve as his first feature film acting role.

Watch Tyler’s speech below.