Boll guest role in Hollywood hit: ‘One rallye and one set’

Bollywood almost literally: Table tennis icon Timo Boll will soon flicker across German cinema screens as a hobby actor in the Oscar-nominated Hollywood film “Marty Supreme.”

“The film is a bit crazy,” Boll said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung around four weeks before the German theatrical release of the movie, which has been nominated for nine Oscars (February 26). “But for having seen and experienced all of this and being mentioned in the end credits, it was definitely worth it. I’m proud that I was allowed to be part of it.”

Germany’s most successful table tennis star plays a Czech opponent of the title character in the fictional film set in the 1950s about former U.S. table tennis star Marty Reisman. “Out of the five rallies we filmed, only one makes it into the movie. I also say one short line,” Boll described the extent of his appearance.

The 44-year-old owes his foray into the film business to U.S. director Josh Safdie. The filmmaker is “a big table tennis fan. He wanted players in the film who could actually play a bit, and because he’s a big fan of mine and privately uses the same racket as I do, he gave me a small role,” Boll explained the background to his unusual side job.

For the shoot, Boll traveled to New York for 14 days during a break in last season on his farewell tour. On set, the former world number one reported, “I spent the first week just rehearsing. We had to play with sandpaper rackets, original ones like in the 1950s. I had to adjust my technique. Before filming, I demonstrated the rallies to Timothée Chalamet. Every rally was scripted.”

Despite an inquiry from the U.S. actors’ union due to having “enough screen time for a registration,” Boll considers his guest appearance a one-off experience: “I think that ship has sailed for me in that regard. It’s like in sports: if you don’t get started early enough and aren’t particularly talented anyway, it gets difficult.”

Boll will not travel to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards ceremony on March 15, “but I’ll definitely be cheering hard and keeping my fingers crossed for Josh, Timothée, and the entire crew.”

Source: SID (featured image above: Borussia Düsseldorf)