Timothée Chalamet and writer-director Josh Safdie took the stage at CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil, today to hype up fans for Marty Supreme (review), the duo’s upcoming, highly buzzed-about film.

During the panel, which saw the actor donning a Brazilian flag with his face on it at one point — plus an array of ping-pong-headed men accompanying him, Chalamet was asked what moves him to aspire to greatness in his career.

“The people that inspired me to become an actor in the first place,” responded the Dune star. “The greats before me, the Denzel Washingtons, the Leonardo DiCaprios, the people that laid a path that you aspire to as a young man, as a young artist. You get inspired by these people when you’re young and sometimes the world puts you down and doesn’t encourage you to dream. And this movie is exclusively about that. It’s about following your dreams. Even driving here through Sao Paulo, always taking a moment to be grateful for the opportunities I had in my life. Going to the Performing Arts High School in New York, being surrounded by artists to be able to pursue my dreams, because you need people in your corner that support you.”

“Equally, Marty Supreme is about an underdog, it’s about believing your dreams when no one has your back, when no one believes in you, when the people you think love you the most, that claim to be in love with you, don’t have your back. And then he’s somehow persevering through it to be the greatest table tennis player of all time.”

In his review of Marty Supreme, IGN’s Michael Calabro said it was “equal parts fun and stressful” and that “Marty Supreme combines the chaotic directing style of Josh Safdie with the charisma of Timothée Chalamet to make a one-of-a-kind ping pong movie that is, without a doubt, one of the year’s best films.

Marty Supreme hits theaters on Christmas Day.