Never in a million years did ping-pong champion Yasiris Ortiz imagine she would end up in an Oscar-nominated film about the sport that shaped her life. The 28-year-old, four-time national champion from the Dominican Republic, now appears in two pivotal, high-voltage table tennis sequences in “Marty Supreme,” Josh Safdie’s latest sports fable set on the hustling streets of midcentury New York.
For Ortiz, her time on set was more than just a job; it felt like a mini-reunion of the global table tennis community. While much of the world was buzzing about her co-star Timothée Chalamet, she admits she was more starstruck by German table tennis legend Timo Boll. “We were more excited to see Timo Boll than Timothée,” she joked.
When Ortiz arrived in the United States at 16, she came with her mother, no English, and no friends, landing in a crowded apartment with relatives and little personal space. Table tennis quickly became her language, her identity, and her way out of anonymity. Fast forward a decade, and she is not only a coach but also the author of a children’s book.
While the film captures the gritty, sandpaper-era past of the sport, Ortiz is busy documenting its future. She recently published her first children’s book, “Yasi the Champion: A Table Tennis Tale,” a semi-autobiographical story meant to offer young readers a bridge between struggle and possibility. The book follows a young girl whose paddle becomes a passport to friendship, confidence, and a sense of belonging that transcends borders.
Yasiris Ortiz playing table tennis in “Marty Supreme.” (Courtesy photos) 
Yasiris Ortiz at the Japan Society screening of “Marty Supreme,” holding a paddle with the message Dream Big. (Sean O’Neill photo) 
Yasiris Ortiz, behind the scenes during the filming of “Marty Supreme,” portraying a table tennis player from Brazil. (Photo courtesy of Yasiris Ortiz) 
Yasiris Ortiz showcasing the hairstyle designed for her role as a Brazilian table tennis player in “Marty Supreme.” (Photo courtesy of Yasiris Ortiz)
All eyes now turn to the March 15 Oscar ceremony, where the high-octane world of “Marty Supreme” arrives with nine nominations: best picture, best director (Josh Safdie), best leading actor (Timothée Chalamet), best original screenplay (Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie), best cinematography (Darius Khondji), best film editing, best production design, best costume design, and best casting. The film, loosely based on the life of legendary table tennis hustler Marty Reisman, follows Marty Mauser (Chalamet), a gifted, narcissistic prodigy navigating the Lower East Side’s smoky clubs and backroom games.
Safdie and his collaborators treat each match as a thriller, eschewing the traditional, slow-motion sports-movie gloss. Production designer Jack Fisk rebuilt the famed Lawrence’s Broadway Table Tennis Club with near-archaeological detail, and the tight, aggressive camera work is possible only because the actors are actually playing at speed — no body doubles, no digital sleight of hand.
Chalamet’s preparation started long before cameras rolled. He began taking lessons in 2018 after an early meeting with Safdie and continued training around the world, having tables shipped to his various film sets. He worked between sandworm scenes on the set of “Dune: Part Two,” he kept a table on the “Wonka” set in London, and he collaborated with choreographer Diego Schaaf to master the specific sandpaper-paddle style of the 1950s, a technique that strips away the spin-heavy advantages of modern equipment.
Away from the klieg lights of A24’s production, Ortiz’s influence is most visible in the Bronx, where her Spin & Learn foundation uses table tennis as a vehicle for academic support and social-emotional learning. Since her arrival in New York in 2016, the program has reached more than 45 city schools, weaving paddles and ping-pong balls into lesson plans, mentoring, and after-school activities.
“Everything that has been happening has been a dream,” Ortiz said. Whether she is coaching at PingPod, reading “Yasi the Champion” to elementary school students, or watching herself dart across the screen in an Oscar-nominated film, she is reminding the sport — and the city — that, while “Marty Supreme” captures table tennis history, she is very much its future.
The 98th Academy Awards (Oscars) will take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Conan O’Brien returns to host the event.