When filmmaker Josh Safdie first reached out about working on Marty Supreme, Diego Schaaf admits he had a moment of genuine confusion. The name of the film’s leading man didn’t immediately ring a bell.
“I actually texted my niece and asked, ‘Do you know who Timothée Chalamet is?’” Schaaf recalled. “I told her we might be working on a movie with him.” Her reply came instantly — three emphatic letters: O.M.G.
Schaaf, now 71, isn’t exactly a household name himself. But in Hollywood circles, especially when a script calls for a convincing table tennis scene, he and his wife, Wei Wang, are legends. For more than three decades, the Pasadena-based couple has quietly shaped how ping-pong looks on screen — training actors, choreographing rallies and making sure every shot feels authentic. In Hollywood’s table tennis moments, this couple never misses a beat.
The Power Duo Behind Alpha Productions
Since founding Alpha Productions in 1993, Schaaf and Wang have become the industry’s go-to consultants for table tennis in film, television, commercials and music videos. Their résumé reads like a pop culture time capsule, with credits spanning Forrest Gump, Friends, Balls of Fury and more.
Their latest high-profile project, A24’s Marty Supreme, arrived in North American theaters on Christmas Day and quickly drew awards-season buzz. The film reimagines the life of mid-century ping-pong icon Marty Reisman, with Chalamet portraying a fictionalized version of the champion, Marty Mauser — a player obsessed with becoming the best in the world.
For Chalamet to sell that dream, he needed to look like he truly belonged at the table.
Turning Timothée Chalamet Into a World-Class Player
Before Schaaf and Wang officially joined the project in June 2024, Chalamet already had years of casual training under his belt. He has spoken publicly about practicing table tennis wherever he could — even hauling a table into the desert while filming Dune, and squeezing in rallies between takes on Wonka. Still, transforming dedication into believable mastery was another challenge entirely.
“When we first watched him play, we needed to know one thing,” Schaaf said. “Does he have the athletic potential to become a pro-level player on screen?” After a few minutes of observation, Schaaf was convinced. “I thought, yeah — he can do it.”
From that point on, the work became meticulous. Schaaf focused on the cinematic side of the sport: designing realistic point progressions, sourcing era-accurate 1950s equipment and coordinating elite players for tournament scenes. Every rally had to serve the story, not just the scoreboard.
“The tension, the rhythm, the way a point develops — it all had to feel right,” Schaaf explained. “But we also didn’t want it to feel like a standard sports movie. Josh Safdie wanted it cinematic, immersive — like you’re actually inside a tournament.”
Wei Wang’s Precision and Pedigree
While Schaaf shaped the big picture, Wang handled the details that separate amateurs from elites. Born in Beijing, she picked up a paddle at age 10 and rose to become the fifth-ranked table tennis player in China. Although she never made the national team, her competitive career was formidable.
After retiring in 1983 and moving to the U.S. four years later, Wang returned to competitive play with renewed fire. She climbed from local tournaments to national success, winning the U.S. national doubles championship in 1995 and qualifying for the Olympic team in 1996. Her achievements earned her a place in the U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.
That pedigree made her the perfect coach for Chalamet.
“Footwork is everything,” Wang said. “People think table tennis is all hands, but it’s your whole body — like dancing. Timing, balance, movement. He understood that very quickly.”
Training in Private, Playing Without a Ball
Whenever Chalamet was in Los Angeles, the trio trained for about 90 minutes per session. Early practices took place at the Pasadena Table Tennis Club and the Westside Table Tennis Center, which Schaaf and Wang operate most days of the week. But the public nature of those venues soon became an issue.
“It was just too visible,” Schaaf said. Eventually, they relocated training sessions to Chalamet’s home, setting up a table on his tennis court.
To keep complex scenes straight, Chalamet developed his own system — naming individual points so he could remember their structure and intention. “Otherwise, everything starts to look the same on camera,” Schaaf said.
One of the toughest challenges came when Chalamet had to play without a ball. Some scenes relied on CGI, requiring precise movements with no physical feedback. That meant endless rallies with no natural stopping point.
“It’s exhausting,” Schaaf said. “You never miss, so you just keep going. Take after take, full intensity.”
Coaching Tyler, the Creator
Training Tyler, the Creator — who plays Marty’s close friend and fellow competitor Wally — was a completely different experience. Wang worked with him only twice before filming began.
The first session happened straight after Tyler landed in Los Angeles. “He had never played before,” Wang said. “He didn’t even know how to hold the paddle.” But the spark was immediate. By their second meeting, Tyler had exciting news: he’d already bought his own table.
Quiet Legends of the Game
They may not be instantly recognizable to audiences, but Schaaf and Wang have left an indelible mark on how table tennis is portrayed on screen. Through discipline, precision and a deep love for the sport, they’ve helped some of Hollywood’s biggest stars look like seasoned champions.
And when the cameras roll and the paddles start swinging, one thing remains certain: In Hollywood’s table tennis moments, this couple never misses a beat.