Gwyneth Paltrow Is Blown Away by Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme

Gwyneth Paltrow is not exactly out here stanning every co-star, so when she says Timothee Chalamet knocked her flat in their new movie Marty Supreme, it lands. Also: she admits she barely knew his work going in, which is a refreshing, slightly surprising thing to hear from someone at her level.

The setup: a candid Actors on Actors moment

Paltrow sat down with Jacob Elordi for Variety's Actors on Actors to talk shop while promoting Marty Supreme. Elordi, who has Euphoria on his resume and Frankenstein on the way, did not waste time: he called Chalamet incredible and genuinely unbelievable in the film, zeroing in on a specific image that clearly stuck with him — the final frame of him in the hospital — and praised how fully committed that moment felt. Then he tossed Paltrow the question: what's it like to work opposite someone operating at that intensity?

Paltrow on Chalamet: not familiar at first, now kind of floored

Paltrow said it was great, and that she went into the movie not super familiar with Chalamet's past work. She did a quick catch-up before shooting and came out of the experience impressed by how far he was willing to go with a character who is not built to be liked. In her view, plenty of actors soften the edges when they play people without much of a moral compass. Chalamet did not. The commitment, she said, was inspiring — the kind of total-focus, love-the-craft energy that reminds you why you got into acting in the first place.

'He absolutely blew me away.'

Elordi cosigns the intensity

Elordi agreed that kind of dedication matters and actually has value — his words, not mine — adding that watching Chalamet's work makes him feel good about where things are headed. That's a pretty big endorsement from a guy who is not exactly stingy with the big swings himself.

The movie part you came for

Marty Supreme is directed by Josh Safdie from a script he co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein. The story is loosely drawn from the life of table tennis icon Marty Reisman — yes, a ping-pong legend getting the Safdie treatment, which is already an intriguing combo — and it hits theaters on December 25.

• Title: Marty Supreme
• Leads: Gwyneth Paltrow, Timothee Chalamet
• Director: Josh Safdie
• Writers: Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein
• Inspiration: Loosely based on table tennis player Marty Reisman
• Release: December 25 (in theaters)
• From the Actors on Actors chat: Elordi singled out 'the final frame of him in the hospital' as a standout moment