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The Movie: Marty Supreme
As the title suggests, I, Kenji, had the honor of participating in the filming of “Marty Supreme,” which was shot in Japan in 2025.
What’s even more incredible is that “Marty Supreme” has been nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Costume Design. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, but some of the talented hair and makeup artists I worked with on this set were also involved in other nominated films like “National Treasure” and “The Smashing Machine.”
Filming in Ueno and Meeting Timothée Chalamet
I’ve shared this story with many of my clients already, but the filming took place near the open-air stage in Ueno Onshi Park. Movie Team built a massive set, and Timothée’s visit to Japan was kept strictly confidential.
To be honest… I didn’t actually know who Timothée Chalamet was at the time. Even though I work on film sets occasionally, I haven’t been watching many recent movies. When I first got the call for this gig, I saw Gwyneth Paltrow’s name in the cast list and got excited, thinking, “Oh! It’s Iron Man’s secretary!” (Sadly, she didn’t end up coming to Japan).
Timothée’s name wasn’t even on the script I had, so I had no way to look him up. My first impression was just, “He seems like a nice young guy.” During breaks, he was just hanging around the set. When I worked on a film with Hugh Jackman years ago, he was never on set unless he was filming, so I just thought, “This kid is around a lot.”
It wasn’t until after filming, while I was on a flight to Fukuoka watching a movie about Bob Dylan, that I realized: “Wait… is that him? Is that the guy from the Ueno set?!” I was that late to the party.
In a way, it was better that I didn’t know. Timothée has his own personal hair and makeup artist, and since they were in Japan, that stylist asked me for restaurant recommendations where there weren’t many tourists. We’d be chatting, and Timothée would be right there sipping coffee or coming over to check something. Looking back, it was an experience fans would probably die for.
There was even a plan for Timothée to come to WEC Hair for a quick hair adjustment right before filming! We had a half-day booking from early morning, but the day before, they decided to just do it at the hotel instead. It’s a shame—if he had actually gotten his hair cut at WEC Hair, I would have told that story for generations! Still, we are officially the only hair salon in Japan to have received a booking from Timothée Chalamet.
Four Days of Filming
The schedule was intense. We had to style the hair of over 300 extras before sunrise, which meant starting in the middle of the night. However, the hair and makeup staff gathered for this project were so incredibly skilled that it was a huge learning experience for me. The speed and quality were world-class, and it made me happy to realize there is still so much to learn.
My schedule was: wake up at 2:30 AM, start work at 3:00 AM, work until night, and do it all over again the next day. At one point, I wasn’t even sure if I was awake, asleep, or even alive!
9 Academy Award Nominations!!
And now, “Marty Supreme” has been nominated for the Oscars!
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet)
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Cinematography
- Best Film Editing
- Best Production Design
- Best Costume Design
- Best Casting
While I’m sad there was no nomination for Makeup and Hairstyling, seeing how many people’s hard work went into this makes me realize the greatness of the project. When I first started as a hairstylist, I never imagined I’d be part of a movie nominated for an Academy Award. It is a true honor.
My name, Kenji Suzuki, is in the end credits (I haven’t seen it myself yet, but I believe it’s under a category like “Japan Crew”). Please keep an eye out for it!
Extra
Due to contracts, photography on set was strictly prohibited. However, for “continuity” (ensuring the hair looks exactly the same the next day), we are allowed to take photos of the hairstyles. Here are a few shots that give a tiny bit of the atmosphere without showing the cast.
