When Koto Kawaguchi was first contacted about appearing in Josh Safdie’s sports comedy-drama film, Marty Supreme, he assumed it was a scam. A deaf table tennis champion with no acting experience, he was used to competition, not cameras or Hollywood sets. Yet within months, he found himself opposite Timothée Chalamet, transforming his real-life athletic precision into one of the film’s most compelling performances.
Kawaguchi, who works full time in Toyota’s service parts logistics department, was informed about the part by his table tennis coach. “He told me about this email that arrived, and I thought it couldn’t possibly be true,” recalls the Yokohama-born athlete. “I’m just a normal employee who packs automobile components to be shipped around the world. What do I know about acting? Everyone around me was also shocked.”
An Unlikely Discovery
Few people would describe Kawaguchi as “just a normal employee” — outside of work, he trains six days a week in table tennis; as a member of the Japanese national team, he’s won two bronze medals at the Deaflympics. Earlier this year, he earned his second consecutive title at Japan’s National Deaf Table Tennis Championships. Still, the idea of being in a film — much less an Oscar-nominated one — never crossed his mind. (“I like movies. I watch them. But I never imagined I’d act in one,” he told i-D.)
The role in Marty Supreme came to him via Maiko Endo, a Japanese director, producer and composer. Safdie had asked her to find him a Japanese person for the role of Koto Endo, the antagonist to the movie’s titular character, Marty Mauser. The American filmmaker wanted a professional table tennis player rather than a trained actor for the part, which is loosely based on 1952 world champion Hiroji Sato.
“I spent around seven months searching,” says Endo. “The director initially wanted someone who looked and played like Sato. The problem was that he had a traditional penhold chopper style, which has all but disappeared from the game. Eventually, Josh shifted the parameters a little and asked me to find a player with a distinctive appearance. I then discovered Koto on the Toyota website.”
She knew right away that this was the man for the part. Describing his look as “different” and “timeless,” she says she could imagine Kawaguchi playing table tennis in the 1950s. Safdie agreed, and the pair set up a video meeting with him. “That just reinforced our opinion,” says Endo. “We both felt he was charismatic, with a kind of pureness that’s not easy to find. The casting director was still considering others, but it felt like Josh’s mind was already made up.”
Self-Portrayal
Having overcome the initial shock, Kawaguchi was eager to accept the offer. After reaching an agreement with Toyota allowing him time off, he flew to New York for two months of filming. He says Safdie adapted the script to allow him to play the character more naturally, basing it more on himself than on Sato. The director also included a backstory about Koto losing his hearing during the bombing of Tokyo in World War II.
Early in the film, Koto defeats Marty during the British Open final, causing the American player to lose his confidence, sponsors and way home. This devastating loss drives the plot, as Marty tries single-mindedly to find a way to Japan to seek a rematch. The quiet humility of Koto acts as a foil to the narcissistic and eccentric main character, who is a fictionalized version of the two-time US Open champion Marty Reisman.
It is a subverted underdog story with a complex and often unlikeable protagonist, played brilliantly by Chalamet, in what is arguably his most compelling performance to date. The role earned him his third best actor Oscar nomination. “I’d never heard of Timothée before this film, but friends told me he was a big deal,” says Kawaguchi. “The first time I met him, I felt his aura. He also had a real edge when performing, playing Marty like a table tennis warrior. It was very impressive.”
High Acclaim
Chalamet was equally effusive in his praise of Kawaguchi’s performance. “Koto did an incredible job in this movie,” he said during Marty Supreme‘s premiere in Tokyo. “He’s an incredible actor. He’s an even better table tennis player, and he brought an authenticity to this movie that was unbelievable. It was an honor to work with Koto … A lot of people online in America are obsessed with Koto, and I think he’s a beautiful, beautiful man.”
The pair share a natural on-screen chemistry, with their characters’ contrasting personalities playing off each other effectively. Yet while Kawaguchi is very different from Chalamet’s Marty in real life, he says he found points of connection with the character — particularly in their intense hyperfocus on their sport of choice. “He has many bad points, but I was moved by how much he endured to get to the top,” says Kawaguchi.
Though he enjoyed his time on set and in New York in general, Kawaguchi has no plans to follow up his acting debut with future roles. His passion is table tennis, which he practices two to three hours every night after work and for around half a day on Saturdays. He has maintained the same rigorous training schedule since joining Toyota in 2019.
Looking forward, Kawaguchi’s main objective is to build toward the Deaflympics in Athens, Greece, in 2029. He also hopes to raise the profile of deaf table tennis and the Deaflympics as a whole, and feels his appearance in Marty Supreme could foster that. “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity, and I truly appreciate everyone who has supported me, especially my company for letting me have time off,” he says. “I didn’t realize it would be watched by so many people, which has been great in helping to increase visibility for my sport.”
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Follow Kawaguchi on Instagram at @kawaguchi_koto10.
