As several of this year's Oscars frontrunners make their way to cinemas, all eyes are on Timothée Chalamet's bright orange red carpet outfits. The actor has been sporting more than a few 'fits in the color in the lead up to the release of his latest film, the A24 drama Marty Supreme, which lands in theaters on Christmas Day.
There's no doubt that the press tour has hit your timeline. (You yourself may have even been plagued by the question on every film girlie's mind for the past three weeks: How do I get my hands on a Marty Supreme jacket?) But in the off chance that you haven't, scroll for a bit. You'll likely see clips of Timmy walking through Times Square flanked by anthropomorphic orange ping-pong balls, twinning in custom tangerine Chrome Hearts looks with his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, or sporting a Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford suit, opposite his mom in the same hue, at a premiere.
As any cinephile or fashion fiend will tell you, this just so happens to be Chalamet's latest, fun take on the recent trend of themed red-carpet dressing.
Why might this neon-tinged orange be the color that the star (who's seemingly gunning for a Best Actor nomination) is taking to all of his red carpet appearances this year? Well, like most themed dressing, the answer lies in the film that's being promoted itself.
Why has Timothée Chalamet been wearing orange to support 'Marty Supreme?'
Directed by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme is a sports drama set in the early '50s and loosely inspired by table tennis star Marty Reisman, starring Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a N.Y.C.-born ping-pong champion. Marty is charismatic, confident, and determined to become the best at his calling, no matter what financial woes or doubting skeptics get in his way. (Just think back to Chalamet's SAG acceptance speech earlier this year to understand why critics are calling this film his best performance yet.)
In a pivotal scene from the film, as seen in the teaser, Marty pitches a custom orange ping-pong ball that would help the audience keep track of the game better and also give him some brand recognition. His co-worker adds to his pitch, saying, "It's an original ball for an original guy. It's the Marty Supreme one, not the Marty normal ball."
The orange ball continues to be a symbol throughout the drama—and it's certainly become a signature element of Marty Supreme's marketing. Chalamet, who also serves as a producer on the film, has led the charge with promotional materials like the Marty Supreme blimp and a Marty Supreme Wheaties box. The star pitched both of these—as well as orange becoming the film's answer to Barbie pink in a "leaked" marketing meeting shared on A24's YouTube channel. The indie production house even now sells a "Marty Supreme: Dream Big" ornament in its store.
In an interview with the BBC, Chalamet said he hopes the press tour will inspire audiences to get a ticket to the cinema. "I feel like my responsibility as a young actor, especially, is less to go, 'Hey, how do we get people to revisit this traditional form?' and rather to go, 'Hey, how do we take this traditional form and bring it to people?'"
According to the outlet, the actor also claimed that Marty Supreme could help the wider film industry. "This is an original film at a time where a lot of original films aren't made," he said. "And there's no part of me that's a salesman that's saying this, but I've never been more confident in saying, 'Hey, if you bring yourself to see this movie, you won't be let down'. It's really like a slingshot."
