Gwyneth Paltrow has pulled back the curtain on what it felt like to film multiple intimate scenes with Timothée Chalamet for their new film Marty Supreme.
**At a Glance
- Paltrow, 53, said the age gap with Chalamet, 30, made her worry the scenes might feel awkward.
- She ultimately found the experience “very comfortable” despite filming “a lot of sex scenes.”
- Her son Moses was mortified when he attended the Los Angeles premiere.
- Why it matters: The candid comments give a rare behind-the-scenes look at how actors navigate on-screen intimacy with a significant age difference.
Speaking on January 9 at a members-only Q&A held at San Vicente Bungalows in Santa Monica, the Oscar winner told moderator Demi Moore that she went into the shoot with nerves.
“He was 27 or 28, and I was 50-whatever, and, I mean, it’s weird,” Paltrow explained. “And I [thought], ‘If it’s weird for me, then it’s going to be probably really weird for [him],’ but actually, it was fine. It wasn’t that weird.”
The Josh Safdie-directed picture casts Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a 1950s New York shoe salesman obsessed with becoming the world’s greatest table-tennis champ. Paltrow plays his love interest in a story that required repeated on-camera physicality.
How the scenes were handled
- Intimacy coordinators were present for every take, according to standard Safdie-set protocol.
- Rehearsals were blocked shot-by-shot so both actors knew exact movements before cameras rolled.
- Paltrow requested a closed set; only essential crew remained during filming.
- Chalamet checked in after each take, asking, “You good?”-a habit Paltrow called “sweet and professional.”
The actress admitted the volume of intimate work was daunting. “It was a lot of sex scenes … and I was sort of worried about it too, just having not done all that kind of thing in so long, but it was very comfortable, and it was fine,” she said.
Praise for her co-star
Paltrow repeatedly praised Chalamet’s demeanor. “He’s so easy to work with,” she told the audience. “He’s so brilliant and committed and comfortable and confident.”
She noted that his recent Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins-both earned for other projects-had not changed his on-set humility. “He shows up, knows his lines, brings ideas, then listens. That’s rarer than you’d think,” she added.
Family reaction
While the set stayed professional, reaction at home proved less smooth. Paltrow’s 18-year-old son Moses attended the Los Angeles premiere and struggled watching his mother on screen.
“Oh my God! My poor son,” Paltrow laughed. “Can you imagine when he came to the premiere in L.A.? He wanted to die.”
She and ex-husband Chris Martin also share 21-year-old daughter Apple. The former couple famously announced their “consciously uncoupling” in 2014; Paltrow is now married to producer Brad Falchuk.
About the film
Marty Supreme opened in theaters January 10 and features an ensemble cast that includes:
- Odessa A’zion as Marty’s whip-smart cousin
- Kevin O’Leary as the sneering league commissioner
- Tyler Okonma (credited as Tyler, the Creator) as Marty’s racket supplier
- Abel Ferrara as a back-alley gambler
- Fran Drescher as Marty’s mother
The project marks the first collaboration between A24 and Safdie since 2019’s Uncut Gems. Early box-office tracking shows a $9 million domestic opening weekend, strong for an indie sports drama.
Publicity tour ahead
Paltrow and Chalamet are scheduled to appear together on:
- January 14: SiriusXM Town Hall moderated by Jessica Shaw
- January 17: NYC screening hosted by the Tribeca Film Institute
- January 22: Joint interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Sources close to the pair say no additional intimate projects are on either’s slate, though Chalamet is rumored to be circling a Bob Dylan biopic that would begin filming late 2025.
Key takeaways
- Paltrow’s initial worry about the age gap dissolved thanks to Chalamet’s professionalism.
- Multiple sex scenes were required, yet the actress calls the shoot “comfortable.”
- Family embarrassment-particularly from her teen son-provided the film’s most awkward moment for her.
- Marty Supreme is now playing nationwide.
