Robert Pattinson has developed a knack for hiding in plain sight.
Not on red carpets or press tours, but inside films themselves, smuggling his presence into places you’d never think to look.
His latest trick is a cameo so low-stakes and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it that even the most eagle-eyed fan would struggle to spot it.
Somewhere inside Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s latest cinematic pressure cooker, Pattinson is there, but only as a voice.
During a British Open semifinals scene, as Marty (Timothée Chalamet) faces off against Bela Kletzki (Géza Röhrig), the ping-pong announcer narrating the match is Pattinson himself.
Safdie revealed the detail casually during a conversation at BFI Southbank in London.
Pattinson had come by the set, watched some footage, and when Safdie needed a British-sounding voice for the umpire, the solution was right there.
‘It’s like a little Easter egg,’ Safdie told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘He came and watched some stuff , and I was like, “I don’t know any British people.” So he’s the umpire.’
Safdie has a history of using high-profile actors in ways that feel almost defiantly unglamorous.
In Uncut Gems, for example, Tilda Swinton appeared only as a voice on the other end of a phone call.
Pattinson and Safdie, of course, have history.
Their relationship was forged during the filming of Good Time, the 2017 Safdie brothers film that helped cement Pattinson’s post-Twilight reinvention.
As for Pattinson’s cameo in Marty Supreme, it’s just another reason it’s a fan favourite and a major awards contender this year.
Depicting several months in the life of aspiring ping-pong champion Marty Mauser – based loosely on US player Marty Reisman – the film is not at all a standard sports biopic.
Timothée Chalamet plays Marty, and will almost certainly be Oscar-nominated for playing the role, after his Golden Globe win for best actor last week.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
