The TED talk that put writer Pico Iyer in “Marty Supreme”

Hey. It's Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's TED Radio Hour. I love going to the movies. Everything in my life's falling apart, but I'm gonna figure it out. A few weeks back, I went to see Marty Supreme. That's the film starring Timothee Chalamet as a table tennis champion that's set in the nineteen fifties. But I'm telling you this game, it fills stadiums overseas. So I'm watching this movie, right? And I do a big double take when I saw who was starring as the head of the Global Table Tennis Association in the movie. You're wrong. Ron Sethi. Right? So sorry. Could you hold for a moment? You don't mind? It's a TED speaker who has been on our show numerous times. So good to see you again, Manoush. Hey, Piko. Writer Piko Iyer. I am finding this whole exchange really offensive. You're offended? I am offended. I'm not an actor. Piko writes about travel and so much more. He's been on the show talking about the day he lost everything his house, every possession in a fire and how that experience led him to become the soulful explorer that he is. But yes, Piko is also really big into table tennis. He even gave a TED Talk about it, which brings us back to the movie and the story of how Piko Iyer was cast in Marty Supreme. Tell me the story of how this came to be. Well, Manush, I was as surprised as you were because I have never acted in my life. I know nothing about that world. But it it came about through a TED talk. The director of Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie, saw me give a talk from six years ago about ping pong as a guide to life. And since the film had to do with ping pong, and since I seem so different from the vision that Marty was embodying at the center of the film, he realized, that I might be well suited to playing a stuffy official. And I I tried hard to get out of it, but, I think he was very determined that I should play that part. And so, it turned out to be a great adventure for me. Wait. Wait. Why did you try to get out of it? You weren't like, Hollywood, here I come. Like, you're not a flashy guy, so maybe not. Well, I knew how hard work it would be, and I just have no experience. I was keenly aware. I've never even acted in a high school play or one thirty second video or anything. On the other hand, I think because, the director had seen me on the TED stage, he knew that maybe I could speak to cameras a little and wouldn't be daunted by crowds. So that was an advantage. And also my schedule was very complicated, but they actually rearranged the whole schedule to accommodate me. So then I knew I couldn't say no. Wow. …