BEIJING, March 11 — Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet answered to “sweet tea” and praised a table tennis champion as he wooed Chinese fans yesterday in Beijing, days before the Academy Awards.

The 30-year-old actor is in Asia promoting Best Picture hopeful Marty Supreme, in which he plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.

Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor’s unique viral campaign, the A24 film directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems) has become an unlikely global hit.

At an indoor red-carpet event, Chalamet delighted fans by calling China’s table tennis world no. 1 Sun Yingsha “an amazing player” after earlier purchasing a poster of the reigning world champion from a local shop.

The sport — which Chalamet spent several years mastering in preparation for the film — is hugely popular in China.

Dozens of fans squeezed past each other for autographs and selfies with the three-time Best Actor nominee, known affectionally as “tiancha”, which means sweet tea.

The Dune and Call Me By Your Name star has a sizeable fan base in the country, despite the latter — a gay romance — not receiving a theatrical release as China heavily censors LGBTQ content.

The rare visit to China by a prominent American actor comes as Hollywood looks to cash in on the country’s box office.

China recorded 51.8 billion yuan (RM30 billion) in ticket sales last year, challenging North America’s box office of US$8.6 billion.

“I feel like the movie could be as well received here as it was in the States, you know. Hopefully,” Chalamet told reporters at the carpet — coloured the same shade of orange the actor has sported across his Marty Supreme press tour.

Chalamet also visited Japan and the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu where he was filmed playing table tennis with silver-haired locals.

His Asia tour also comes as he has angered fans over viral comments suggesting “no one cares” about ballet or opera.

Marty Supreme officially opens in Chinese cinemas on March 20. — AFP