Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow shared a lighthearted moment while promoting Marty Supreme, when Downey Jr. addressed Paltrow’s surprising reaction to Timothée Chalamet’s on-screen appearance. The actor recalled her confusion over Chalamet’s “bad skin,” which turned out to be a detailed makeup effect.
Gwyneth Paltrow was confused about Timothee Chalamet’s skin
Gwyneth Paltrow initially mistook Timothée Chalamet’s acne-scarred appearance in Marty Supreme for his real skin rather than realizing it was makeup. During a Q&A event at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on January 14, 2026, Robert Downey Jr. revealed, “Paltrow told me when she met you, she was like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know he had bad skin,'” referring to Chalamet. Downey Jr. responded, “I was like, ‘It’s f—ing makeup, Gwyneth'” (via PEOPLE).
On the December 2 episode of The Run-Through with Vogue podcast, Paltrow confirmed her mistake. She said, “In Marty Supreme, Timothée has pockmarks, and they made his eyes beady with contacts and glasses. And it’s all makeup. And, in real life, he has beautiful skin.” She recalled offering Chalamet unsolicited skincare advice, saying, “Oh, you know, you can do microneedling for that,” to which he replied, “This is makeup!” Paltrow added, “I was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ I didn’t realize. The makeup was so good that I thought he had little acne scars.”
Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie and now in theaters, stars Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a 1950s shoe salesman who dreams of becoming the world’s best table tennis player. The film also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher.
Paltrow and Chalamet spent significant time together during the film’s production. Paltrow said at another Q&A, “He was 27 or 28, and I was 50-whatever, and, I mean, it’s weird.” She added that the experience turned out to be “fine” and not as awkward as expected. Paltrow described Chalamet as “so easy to work with,” calling him “brilliant and committed and comfortable and confident.”
