The cast of Marty Supreme is an interesting one, to say the least. While we all look forward to the 2026 movie schedule, some of us are also still thinking about movies from 2025. Marty Supreme is one of those movies that has really stuck with me. I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, as I didn’t expect the more comedic tone of the movie, but I’ve been thinking and talking about it ever since, which is always a great sign.
One thing that I’m not a big fan of, however, is the stunt casting. It’s not that the acting was bad, by any means, cast members like Kevin O’Leary and Tyler, the Creator (billed as Tyler Okonma) were actually pretty great, but I still have some issues. Let me explain.
Overall, The Cast Is Great
Director Josh Safdie definitely took an unconventional approach to the casting of this great A24 film. At the top of the bill is a bona fide movie star, Timothee Chalamet. I’m on board with Chalamet winning his first Oscar for playing the smarmy, obnoxious, wholly unlikeable Marty Mauser. He’s fantastic. Gwyneth Paltrow is also wonderful as Marty’s lover, Kay Stone. The supporting characters, played by established actors like Odessa A’zion, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, and Sandra Bernhard, are also all fantastic.
That brings us to much of the rest of the cast. I want to be clear, though, I don’t think any of the cast members who I would describe as “stunt casting” were bad. In fact, I walked away very impressed by how good Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary is in the movie. I didn’t expect that at all. Still, every time a character came on screen played by someone famous for reasons other than acting, I got pulled out of the movie, if only briefly.
Stunt Casting Can Be Fun, But It Can Go Too Far
Everyone loves a fun, random cameo in a movie from people who aren’t known for acting. In Uncut Gems, from Josh Safdie and his brother Benny, Kevin Garnett’s role is perfect. Bob Barker is another great example in Happy Gilmore. I could go on and on. However, there comes a point when it just gets distracting. That’s what happened to me in Marty Supreme.
The movie is chock-full of random people in the cast who come from different backgrounds. There is the aforementioned Kevin O’Leary, who has a big role in the movie. There is also another businessman, John Catsimatidis, who also appears. Sometimes these cameos make sense, like basketball players Tracy McGrady and Kemba Walker playing Harlem Globetrotters. Sometimes they make less sense, like NBA legend George Gervin playing the manager of the table tennis hall.
Sometimes they just seem forced, like “The Man with the Golden Voice” Ted Williams and music writer Larry “Ratso” Sloman as Marty’s uncle. Playwright David Mamet, playing the director of a play that Kay is starring in, falls somewhere in between making sense and being a little off the wall. I will admit that I love Penn Jillette in just about everything he does, so that cameo was a lot of fun for me.
Again, it’s not any of these celebrities’ fault that I was pulled out of the movie, but it was distracting to constantly be clocking in my head who was playing whom and where I’d seen them before. I still love the movie, and as always, I can’t wait to see what A24 comes up with next.