NYC supermarket mogul Catsimatidis makes debut in Timothée Chalamet flick: ‘I never knew who he was!'
'I actually got paid! I'm a member of SAG. And so I got a new career at my age,' the 76-year-old supermarket mogul told The Post on Friday.
3 New York City supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis is making his film debut in the upcoming Timothée Chalamet movie 'Marty Supreme.'
x/RealChalamet
Advertisement
'Josh Safdie — who is the big producer on it — he was looking for Upper West Side people and approached me, and I said, 'Yeah! Sounds like fun!' ' the mogul said.
Catsimatidis — who is also famous these days for his WABC radio show, where he regularly complains about rising costs in the city — revealed he will star in 'two or three scenes' of the new film about the life of a fictional table-tennis star, Mary Mauser.
The film is based on the actual life of legend Marty Reisman, who ran a ping pong parlor in an Upper West Side building owned by Catsimatidis.
Advertisement
The onetime mayoral candidate also makes a cameo in the final seconds of the film's trailer, which was released Wednesday, in a scene in which Chalamet tries to convince two men with New York accents to purchase a custom orange ping pong ball with his name branded on the surface.
3 'I got a new career at my age,' Catsimatidis crowed to The Post.
Stefan Jeremiah for New York Post
3 Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, a fictionalized version of table tennis legend Marty Reisman.
x/RealChalamet
'A custom ball like that, it's going to cost a lot of money,' Catsimatidis tells the actor.
Advertisement
When it came to working with the Academy Award-nominated Chalamet, Catsimatidis admitted he had no idea who the heartthrob was.
'I never knew who he was! I was complaining to the director that he was getting a bigger role than me!' he quipped to The Post.
It wasn't clear whether Chalamet, a fellow New Yorker and public-school graduate, knew who Catsimatidis was before filming.
Advertisement
Catsimatidis said his ping pong-peddling scene took as many as seven hours to shoot.
'I would say I'm used to days of work for five days,' Catsimatidis told The Post. '[Filming] was like 14-hour days. By the time I got [done], it was like midnight.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How Catherine Zeta-Jones Feels About Husband Michael Douglas' Retirement Plans
How Catherine Zeta-Jones Feels About Husband Michael Douglas' Retirement Plans originally appeared on Parade. Catherine Zeta-Jones has some thoughts before her husband officially calls it quits in Hollywood. The Academy Award-winning actress, 55, opened up about Michael Douglas' decorated career in a new interview with The Sunday Times amid the his past comments about how he has no real intentions again and that he just likes "to watch my wife work." "Michael has definitely earned the chance to slow down. But I never say never," Zeta-Jones said in the interview published Saturday, Aug. 16. "He's his father's son and loves to work — let's just say, 'retirement' is a flexible concept." The celebrated Welsh performer won Oscar gold for Chicago (2002), and Douglas, 80, has won two trophies himself : one as a producer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and one as Best Actor in a Leading Role for Wall Street (1987). The Times calls Douglas "Hollywood royalty," being the offspring of the late Tinseltown icon Kirk Douglas, who died in 2020 at age 103. "He was a flirty little thing," Zeta-Jones told the publication about Kirk. "He was wonderful and he was very fond of me, as I was of him. I miss him. They [Kirk and his wife, Anne] left a philanthropic legacy that was way beyond movies." Whether Michael does slow down on the big screen or not, he and Zeta-Jones can both agree that he'll be playing a lot of golf going forward, The Times reports. Zeta-Jones has her own way of relaxing: homemaking, specifically organizing and stocking her numerous wardrobes. "I go to all the vintage stores in Paris. I buy things that you are probably never going to wear, like a gorgeous cape, just great pieces," the Wednesday star told The Times. "I am loving classic Yves Saint Laurent at the moment. I get excited about evening dresses. For me, a pair of jeans is a pair of jeans. Spending £200 on a white T-shirt? Nah. But when it comes to couture, beautiful beading, the artistry… I love the theatre of fashion." How Catherine Zeta-Jones Feels About Husband Michael Douglas' Retirement Plans first appeared on Parade on Aug 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Colin Kaepernick docuseries produced by Spike Lee no longer moving forward at ESPN amid 'creative differences'
An ESPN docuseries on quarterback Colin Kaepernick that was being produced by acclaimed director Spike Lee and Jemele Hill is no longer moving forward. The six-time Academy Award nominee revealed to Reuters during a red carpet entrance at a fundraising dinner for the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner on Friday that the multi-part documentary will not be released. "I can't. I signed a nondisclosure," he said. "I can't talk about it." Asked why the series — tentatively titled "Da Saga of Colin Kaepernick" — won't be seen, Lee cited a nondisclosure agreement in talking about the development. "I can't. I signed a nondisclosure," he added. "I can't talk about it." ESPN issued a statement to Reuters on Saturday in response to an inquiry about the docuseries' status. "ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences," the statement said. "Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film." Kaepernick played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons from 2011-16. He quarterbacked the 49ers to the 2013 NFC championship game, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. However, he is most known for protesting the U.S. national anthem before games by taking a knee as a gesture to protest systemic racism in the culture and police brutality. That made him a nationally controversial figure, drawing criticism from many including President Donald Trump, and presumably led to no NFL teams signing him after he became a free agent. He never played in the NFL again after the 2016 season. Last September, Puck's Matthew Belloni reported that creative differences between Kaepernick and Lee stalled the docuseries' development. Kaepernick preferred for the series to focus more on his career and personal experience. Yet Lee wanted the scope of the project to cover wider cultural issues, including the history of Black athletes in professional sports, social justice and police brutality. Though the series was reportedly completed, Kaepernick held ultimate approval over the project and wanted material added to Lee's final cut. The project stalling over creative differences between Kaepernick and Lee was confirmed to The Athletic, though specifics beyond what Belloni originally reported were not provided. Yet as Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand point out, ESPN's relationship with the NFL is different now than when the project was initially being developed in 2022. In an agreement worth billions of dollars, ESPN will acquire NFL RedZone and other NFL Media properies with the NFL taking a 10% equity stake in the network. A docuseries that potentially casts the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's 32 teams in a bad light likely wouldn't be viewed favorably under those circumstances. Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance against NFL team owners with teammate Eric Reid. That lawsuit was eventually settled in 2019. The Kaepernick docuseries is reportedly finished or close enough to where it could air on another network or streaming platform. According to Belloni's report, Kaepernick and Lee largely worked out their differences. Yet based on the finality of Lee's remarks to Reuters, it appears that the project will not be shopped around to other outlets.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Everything We Know About Timothée Chalamet's Ping Pong Epic, ‘Marty Supreme'
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Our first glimpse of ping pong prodigy Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), in the newly released Marty Supreme trailer suggests that he's out of place. He's standing on top of an unmade bed in his underwear, a robe that resembles a trench coat, and argyle socks. 'I'm in the royal suite,' he flirtatiously informs Gwyneth Paltrow's character through a rotary telephone receiver. A quick background scan reveals ornate molding lining the cream walls, a marble bust atop a carved pillar, a bottle of champagne chilling in a silver ice bucket, and intricate metalwork adorning the lamps and chandelier. Also visible are room service remnants, crumpled clothes, and a rogue pineapple strewn among the pile of sheets at Marty's feet. It's the kind of character-to-setting juxtaposition that makes you wonder how, exactly, the two came together. The next cut to Paltrow—also robe-clad, but more composed and mature—in another classically decorated hotel suite (hers featuring heavy blue curtains with a luxe tassel fringe, and expensive-looking artwork) ups the intrigue. According to A24's synopsis, Marty Supreme, follows 'a young man with a dream no one respects [who] goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.' The film is written by Josh Safdie, returning to the director's chair for the first time since Uncut Gems in 2019. In the trailer, we see Chalamet's Marty chasing his passion for ping pong through 1950s New York, with all the swelling bravado of any sports movie hero. Here's everything we know so far about the movie and its sets. Who's in it? Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow are joined by some highly recognizable—if unexpected—cast members, including Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary ('Mr. Wonderful'), Fran Drescher (The Nanny), and Tyler Okonma (rapper and producer, Tyler, the Creator). Odessa A'zion, Abel Ferarra, and Penn Jillette will round out the supporting cast, per Variety. Is it based on a true story? Viewers have observed parallels (beyond just the name) between Chalamet's character and ping pong legend Marty Reisman. In his 2012 obituary, the New York Times described Reisman as 'a wizard at table tennis, the sport in which he captured national championships, won and lost fortunes, and moved crowds to laughter.' The report also notes that Reisman won 22 titles from 1946 to 2002, and that he traveled globally, 'hustl[ing] movie stars and maharajahs' in the game. Deadline reports that while Chalamet's character's hustler spirit and arc draw inspiration from Reisman, the film is ultimately billed as fictional and its plot will not align accurately with the real athlete's life. Where was the movie filmed? Marty Supreme is predominantly set in New York City. Last summer, several storefronts on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side got a 1950s makeover, featuring weathered, vintage-inspired signs and window dressings per the New York Post. The report cited similar treatment to an Upper East Side restaurant, as well as a line of retro cars on Lexington Ave. Chalamet and Paltrow were also spotted kissing on set in Central Park, as reported by People. IMBd currently lists additional filming locations as Hancock and Rye, New York, Chesterfield, New Jersey, and Florida. In the trailer, there are also clues that that Marty's pursuit of greatness may take the plot abroad: Chalamet notes 'I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you, this game, it fills stadiums overseas.' There's also a split-second shot of a group gathered with camels for a photo op in front of what appear to be the Pyramids, and a solo shot of Marty in the same location. Which interiors are featured in the trailer? The Marty Supreme trailer features more dramatic close-ups and table tennis action shots than clear set design clips (other than the expository hotel suite). There are several shots of Chalamet and A'zion in a charmingly weathered neighborhood shoe store. We also see the upscale hotel lobby where Chalamet first spots Paltrow through French doors, and a glimpse of a theater where Paltrow's 'movie star' character is presumably performing. Based on the trailer, the Marty Supreme sets promise a healthy balance of midcentury New York grit and glamour—a sentiment that seems to be reflected in Marty's own journey. Watch the trailer now. You Might Also Like From the Archive: Tour Sarah Jessica Parker's Relaxed Hamptons Retreat 75 Small (But Mighty) Kitchens to Steal Inspiration from Right This Instant Solve the daily Crossword
