Epstein Files Expected to Be Released Soon | Timothée Chalamet, The Duffer Brothers | Wednesday December 17

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Episode: Epstein Files Expected to Be Released Soon | Timothée Chalamet, The Duffer Brothers
Date: December 18, 2025

---

Overview

This episode of The Tonight Show is packed with the usual high-energy banter, pop culture commentary, and engaging interviews. Jimmy Fallon kicks things off with a topical and humorous monologue, before welcoming two sets of major guests: rising star Timothée Chalamet, who discusses his new film “Marty Supreme,” and the Duffer Brothers, creators of the smash-hit Netflix series Stranger Things. The show features spontaneous comedy, memorable quotes, behind-the-scenes insights, and playful games—perfectly capturing the tone and spirit typical of Fallon’s late-night variety hour.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Monologue and Topical Humor

(00:37–08:14)

• Media Satire & Holiday Jokes

  • Fallon lampoons current events and pop culture, including the anticipated release of the Epstein files by the DOJ, joking,
    • “We’re about to find out who’s really on the naughty list. It’s about time they released the files because I think everyone’s tired of being microdosed names and creepy photos. Like, just give us the whole thing.” (04:08)
  • Jokes about the Oscars moving to YouTube and Tonys to OnlyFans, and quirky “holiday cards” supposedly from Trump, Spirit Airlines, and Mariah Carey.

• News Roundup

  • Touches on the Jeopardy Second Chance Tournament, Southwest Airlines’ sales, Hines’ new CEO (with a ketchup packet gag), and the cold winter weather in NYC.
  • Fallon’s wordplay and quick banter with the Duffer brothers and the Roots keep the energy high.

The Tonight Show "Connections" Game

(08:57–11:33)

• The crew (including Timothée Chalamet) plays a word-association game inspired by the New York Times’ ‘Connections,’ showcasing their quick wit and humorous misinterpretations (e.g., mistaking "stocking stuffers" for X-rated Hallmark movies).
  • Memorable gag: "Ho ho ho?" "Yeah, I can't watch that. Alright, family!" (10:33)

Interview: Timothée Chalamet

(11:52–21:07)

• Chalamet’s New Film: Marty Supreme

  • Chalamet, full of humility and excitement, promotes his new movie,
    • “This is like a movie about sacrifice in pursuit of a dream... We live in a bleak time, especially for young people. So this film is an attempt at an antidote to that.” (13:49)
  • Repeatedly emphasizes the film’s originality and passion behind the indie project.

• On Award Nominations

  • Recognized for his performance (Grammy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award):
    • “Can’t believe it, man.” (12:37)
    • "I’m imagining Bob Dylan in the Mortal Kombat of that all." (12:42)
  • Light-hearted jokes about the Grammy category with Chalamet imagining Bob Dylan performing "Finish him" (12:51).

• Behind-the-Scenes and Cast

  • Praises the ensemble cast (Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Sennott, Tyler the Creator, Fran Drescher, Kevin O’Leary).
  • Details the lengthy ping pong training for the role, begun in 2018 and interrupted by COVID.
    • “I like to learn by osmosis, you know what I mean? So. No, that’s not a joke, man.” (15:50)
  • Reflects on the privilege of being able to work hard in the business:
    • “I know actors I came up with... that are more talented than me, that haven’t gotten an opportunity to work. I’m getting the opportunity to work. Why not go 10,000% hard?” (16:29)

• Movie Details

  • Loosely based on 1950s NYC table tennis hustler Marty Reisman and described as a blend of sports drama, heist, and thriller.
  • "This is not just a movie sell, man. This movie’s amazing, man. So... this is the one." (17:37)

• Light-Hearted Moments

  • Chalamet on being featured on a Wheaties box: "With my emaciated, borderline anemic frame. The only way I was ever gonna get on a Wheaties box was by way of the arts." (19:26)
  • Fallon demonstrates how he makes Japanese egg omelets and shares details about ferrying his kids to school in a “gem” car.
    • "What’s their Social Security number? Wait, no." (20:33)

• Notable Soundbite

  • "Marty Supreme. Dream big. Marty Supreme. Christmas Day." (13:49)
  • “You will not regret it. You will not regret it.” (14:27)

Interview: The Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things)

(21:25–29:32)

• Reflecting on Stranger Things’ Success

  • Duffer Brothers remain humble about the show’s impact:
    • “No one thought season one was going to be a hit. Netflix didn’t. We certainly didn’t.” (22:39)
  • Realized its popularity after seeing fan culture spread worldwide and being parodied on SNL.

• Origins & Early Projects

  • Shared stories of their childhood filmmaking, such as the "Stuffed Father" (a stuffed animal trilogy) and a homemade Magic: The Gathering film.
  • Playful roast:
    • “Our parents saw that and said they’re going to make it.” (24:57)

• Design and Casting of Stranger Things

  • Demogorgon’s child-friendly design: “We want a design that if you're a young kid and you've seen the show, you can just draw it very easily.” (26:14)
  • Casting philosophy: Seek authenticity and kids not typically seen on TV.
  • Shoutouts to standout cast members: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and even “Derek” (fan-favorite joke).

• Series Ending and Theories

  • On the series finale:
    • “No. I’ve seen a lot of [online] theories. None of them have got the ending right. None of them.” (29:27)
  • Emphasize how difficult it was to pitch— “it was a show not for kids, starring kids... a period piece... and we were just failures.”
  • Fallon wraps with encouragement, “You work hard, you can do it. You got to have that Marty Supreme.” (29:09)

Memorable Quotes

• Jimmy Fallon

  • "We’re about to find out who’s really on the naughty list." (04:08)
  • "If you want to see an original film, something brand new...go to see this in the theater. You won’t regret it. And you’re gonna be in love with movies." (17:18)
  • “You work hard. You can do it. You got to have that Marty Supreme.” (29:09)

• Timothée Chalamet

  • “This is like a movie about sacrifice in pursuit of a dream... this film is an attempt at an antidote to that and to continue to believe in yourself... That’s the spirit of Marty Supreme. Christmas Day.” (13:49)
  • “You will not regret it. You will not regret it.” (14:27)

• Matt & Ross Duffer

  • “No one thought season one was going to be a hit. Netflix didn’t. We certainly didn’t.” (22:39)
  • “None of [the online theories] have got the ending right. None of them.” (29:27)
  • “[Demogorgon], we want...a design that if you’re a young kid and you’ve seen the show, you can just draw it very easily.” (26:14)

---

Important Timestamps

• Monologue Highlights: 00:37–08:14
• Tonight Show Connections Game: 08:57–11:33
• Timothée Chalamet Interview: 11:52–21:07
• Duffer Brothers Interview: 21:25–29:32

---

Tone & Language

The conversation is quick-witted, warm, and irreverent, packed with self-deprecating humor, pop culture references, and creative riffing between host and guests. Fallon maintains an upbeat, welcoming energy throughout. The show is equal parts funny, insightful, and celebratory—a love letter to movies, TV, and the spirit of creative ambition.

---

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode...

You’ll come away with a strong sense of why The Tonight Show remains a staple: it blends sharp comedy with genuine enthusiasm for pop culture, elevating both blockbuster stars and creative risk-takers. This episode delivers laughs, behind-the-scenes stories, and motivational moments for dreamers of all ages.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6B in Rockefeller center in the heart of New York City, it's the Tonight show starring Jimothee Salame. Tonight, join Jimothy and his guest, Timothy Chalamet. The Stuffer Brothers. And featuring the legendary Ruth Truth. 2, 2, 3, 2. And now, here he is. Jimmy. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Enjoy yourself.

Welcome to the Tonight Show.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Jimmy. Jimmy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God.

Timothy.

Jimmy.

S.

What are you doing, bud?

What?

[Timothee Chalamet]

What are you doing, man?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well, nothing, I just. I just.

[Timothee Chalamet]

No, but I feel like you're mocking me, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no. I love the movie. I'm sorry.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I'll.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'll take the mustache.

[Timothee Chalamet]

No, no, you don't have to take. No, no, no, no, you don't have to take the mustache off. It's just if you want to do it, you just gotta complete it. Are you sure you want to do this?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I'm sure. Wow. Wow.

I feel it. This is amazing. Thank you so much. I'm going to have the best monologue of my life.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Hey, hey, Jimmy. You're going to do great, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

Thank you, Timothy.

And now here he is, Jimmy Fallon. Thank you very much. Oh, yeah. I feel good. I feel great. Welcome, everybody. Welcome, welcome. Welcome to the Tonight Show. Thank you very much.

That's right. I'm very excited about this. He's one of the biggest movie stars in the world.

Timothee Chalamet is my guest tonight.

Timothy's here to talk about his new film, Marty supreme. And people are calling it the best performance of his career. Yeah, his only better performance was backstage when he said he was excited to be here. Oh, yeah. Timothee is a favorite to win best Actor for his performance as a ping pong prodigy. That's why he's great. Timothy looks at ping pong balls and sees an Oscar while the rest of us look at ping pong balls and think, I'm gonna throw this in a red solo cup. Well, guys, it's such a fun time of year. Christmas is just a week away. This is right about the time when FAO Schwartz goes from toy store to fight club. You know, that's the time. Well, get this. According to a new report, the most popular holiday drinks are hot chocolate, apple cider and espresso martinis. People were like, are you forgetting eggnog? And everyone said, we are not. Well, guys, right now a lot of people are sending out their holiday cards, and I've already seen some pretty interesting ones this year.

[Matt Duffer]

Really?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. For instance, here's one from President Trump on the front. It says, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. You open up, it says, along with the Epstein files. These are just cards that I've seen online.

I've seen this online.

Here's one from Spirit Airlines. It says, I can see Santa's Slayer. It says through the hole in the side of the plane.

Why would they send that out?

Yeah, I know. And finally, here's one from Mariah Carey. It says, it's the most wonderful time of the year. You open it up, it says, suck it, buble. And you go, come on.

Why would you. Why? That's not Question Spirit.

I don't know, man. Some big political news. On Friday, the Department of justice is expected to release the full Epstein files. Or as Trump's calling it, the Nightmare Before Christmas. That's right. We're about to find out who's really on the naughty list. It's about time they released the files because I think everyone's tired of being microdosed names and creepy photos, like, just give us the whole thing. Some entertainment news. It was just announced that after 50 years, the Oscars will soon leave ABC and air on YouTube. So now you'll hear and the Oscar goes to. And then have to watch the 32nd AD for Royal Kingdom, Save the King.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

If you think the Oscars on YouTube is strange, I just heard the Tonys are moving to OnlyFans. Some more TV news this week mark the beginning of the Jeopardy. Second Chance tournament where the best runners up from this season face off against each other. And I watched part of it last night and it doesn't look to me like they picked the best of the best for it. I don't know. You be the judge.

[Ross Duffer]

Sabrina Carpenter served up this 2024 hit singing is it that Sweet? I guess so. Say youy Can't Sleep. Brian, what is clam chowder? I'm sorry. In 2009, this US Airways pilot miraculously landed an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River.

[Matt Duffer]

Kyle, who's SpongeBob?

[Timothee Chalamet]

No.

[Ross Duffer]

The soundtrack to this 2018 film includes the duet Shallow Morgan. What is Citizen Kane? No. His Broadway roles include Max Bialystock in the Producers and Walter Burns in the Front Page.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Stevie, who's DJ Khaled.

[Ross Duffer]

No. These crunchy cubes come in a Parmesan version for your Caesar salad.

[Questlove]

Jeff, what are Minions?

[Timothee Chalamet]

No.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ah, so you see what I'm saying. It's very interesting. What is clam chowder. Switching gears, Southwest Airlines just announced that they're running their trendiest sale ever by offering domestic tickets for $67. Yeah. It's 6. 7. Because when you ask if the plane will take off, they go.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Eh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Some more business news. I saw that Hines just announced a new CEO.

Yeah.

They would have done it sooner, but it took forever to get the old one out. Hit it on the five. Seven. Five, seven. You can tell Hines is in trouble because they made their new CEO out of a bunch of little CEO packets they stole from McDonald's. One. Hey, thank you very much. What happened was they made the old CEO, right? What did they do? They made the new CEO out of little packets of the old CEO. Oh, okay. Because that's that they stole from McDonald's, right? It is cold today. It is very cold. Yeah, you're right. It's so cold. Walk into work.

[Ross Duffer]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I saw a Wall street stockbroker spooning with Zoran Mandani. Are you?

[Matt Duffer]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cold. That's cold.

[Matt Duffer]

That's cold.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Finally, Zillow just announced that the most festive town in America is Santa Claus, Indiana. While the least festive is. But yout said you didn't want anything. Idaho.

We have a great show. Give it up for the Roots, everybody. What a show we have for you tonight.

He's stars in and produced the highly anticipated new movie Marty Supreme. It is in theaters in New York and LA this weekend and nationwide Christmas Day.

Timothee Chalamet is here tonight. Marty Supreme.

They are the creators of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Volume two of the final season begins streaming Christmas Day and the finale premieres New Year's Eve. I think they're geniuses. The Duffer brothers are joining us tonight.

Brilliant minds.

Hey, speaking of holiday songs, I have a holiday album out too.

[Matt Duffer]

What?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, it's called Holiday seasoning. All of your favorite artists are on a duetting with me. The Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainor, Justin Timberlake, the Roots. Wow. Papa. And if you download, if you download the sweater deluxe version, you also get my new song, ugly Sweater with Carter Faith.

[Ross Duffer]

Ooh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That'S right. We are holiday seasoning all season long. So stream this wherever you listen to your music or on SiriusXM channel 15 holiday seasoning radio. It's really cool.

[Matt Duffer]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Appreciate it.

Guys, what a great show tonight. The whole everyone's just buzzing about this great show. In fact, I haven't had time to do my puzzles. What? You know, I love those of my puzzle. You luz them. Yeah. I love New York Times games. You guys play those things. Yeah, I love it. Wordle's great. Yep. I do mini cross. Yeah, Mini cross is love. Mini cross Is fun, man. But also, I love connections. Oh, yeah, that's my jam. I didn't do it today. Let's go now. The day got away from me, but I could do it right now. You guys want to do it together? Time for tonight's show Connections.

[Ross Duffer]

Here we go.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tonight, show Connections.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Oh, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, so the way it works is there are 16 random words or phrases, and our goal is to find four groups of four words that share a common theme. Okay, once we think we have one, I'll click submit and see if we're right. Higgins, you see anything here? You know, I think I do. Oh, what's up? I see gin and juice. Okay. Tequila. Oh, yeah. Red. Red wine. Yes. And fireball. Ah, I got you. What's the connection? Songs with like alcohol in the title. Yeah, that's what. Let's see. Oh, no, it's Amal. Santa's breath.

But we still got it.

We still got it. The counts. Yeah, this counts.

We still got connections.

Different than that. That's good. You got one quest? Yeah, I think so. Jimmy, what's up, buddy? What do you see? Stocking stuffers. Hung by the chimney. The North Pole and ho ho, ho. Okay, what is the connection? Those are Christmas phrases. Oh, okay, great. Let's see it. Oh, X rated Hallmark holiday movies. Oh, geez. Ho ho ho.

So stalking stuffers.

Ho ho ho.

What? Hung by the chick.

Hung by the. Yeah, I can't watch that. All right, family. Yeah. Tariq, you want to try and play this game?

[Ross Duffer]

It's fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, what do you see? What do you see there, bubba? Let's go with. Okay. Lampshade, bed post, ceiling fan and picture frame. What's the connection there with things you find in the bedroom? Oh, that makes sense, right? Yeah. Let's try places. You try to balance your elf on the shelf before you say, why am I doing this? We still got the connection. We still got the connection. So it works.

[Timothee Chalamet]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So that just leaves us with on Vixen. Santa's sack. Snowballs.

I wonder what this one. Wow. A nutcracker.

And the nutcracker. Yeah, those are Christmas. Don't beat me to the joke. Those are Christmas related things. Let's see what it is. More X rated Hallmark holiday. But there you have it, everybody.

That's all we have for tonight's show Connections. We'll be right back with Timothy Shadowman. Come on back. Our first guest is an Oscar nominated.

Actor who stars in and produced the new movie Marty Supreme. It's in theaters in New York and LA this weekend. And nationwide Christmas Day. Everyone, please welcome Timothee Chalamet.

What's up? Timothy Chalmez. Welcome back to the show.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Thank you for having me, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What's up, Questlove?

[Timothee Chalamet]

What's going on?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm always happy when you're here, my friend. Congratulations, by the way. You are a Grammy nominee.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah. Randomly.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, is that.

Yes. Yes.

The soundtrack. The soundtrack to a Complete unknown was nominated. You singing as Bob Dylan. You're nominated for a Grammy Award.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Can't believe it, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How's that feel?

[Timothee Chalamet]

Well, we're in a stacked category.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yeah, you are.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah, it's like K Pop demon hunter. It's wicked. So, yeah, I'm imagining Bob Dylan in the Mortal Kombat of that all.

[Questlove]

Finish him.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They are. Whoa.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Where did that come from?

[Jimmy Fallon]

That was in the soul, right?

[Timothee Chalamet]

That was unbelievable.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you. Mortal Kombat Bob Dylan. You'll get to do that impression many times. There are more award nominations that we need to celebrate. You were nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for your performance. Thank you, man.

In Marty Supreme.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I appreciate it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Congratulations. That is a great jacket you're wearing. Thank you, man.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think one of the best marketing jobs of any film I've ever seen. You've done a fantastic job with this movie, man.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I appreciate it, Jimmy. Honestly, just getting this platform for the movie. This is like the biggest late night show in America. And ultimately, this is an original film, Marty Supreme. It's an independent 824 film. I know people rag on the budget size, but this is the easiest sell for me to come here. I'm trying to talk straight into America right here. I don't know which camera to choose.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You go to one and two. I'm going straight to one.

[Timothee Chalamet]

This is like a movie about sacrifice in pursuit of a dream. And it's something I can relate to deeply. And we live in a bleak time, especially for young people. So this film is an attempt at an antidote to that and to continue to believe in yourself, to continue to dream big and to follow your dreams and not take no for an answer. That's the spirit of Marty Supreme. Christmas Day. Marty Supreme. Dream big. Marty Supreme. Christmas Day.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Exactly.

That's what I felt when I watched the movie.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I watched the movie, by the way.

[Timothee Chalamet]

And that's no joke to me, man. That's no hard sell. This is like if you put your butt in the seat that you talk to camera three. Yeah, okay, My bad.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Timothee Chalamet]

You will not regret it. You will not regret it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know, you put your butt in the seat.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You feel something.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah. Well, you saw the movie or you've seen it twice?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I've already seen it twice. I loved it so much.

[Timothee Chalamet]

And I don't. I, I. In my head, something's like, don't go this hard to me. Don't go this hard. But I know 10 years from now, 15 years from now, and I've been a part a lot of projects I'm very proud of. This is the one, man. Marty supreme is the one. Marty Supreme. Christmas Day, you know, Marty Sprint.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Great job. Josh Safdie, man. Oh, my gosh.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Josh Safdie's an incredible director. He's the street poet of New York. The spirit of Josh Safdie is unbelievable. If you saw Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler, Good Time with Robert Pattinson.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you're driving 150 miles an hour in this whole movie.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Not to mention Gwyneth Paltrow, who hasn't acted in six years, is phenomenal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She's back.

[Timothee Chalamet]

She's back.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Amazing.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Odessa A. Zion, star of I love LA right now. Hbo, Max, Shout Out. Rachel Sennott, she's amazing in this movie. And Kevin o' Leary from Shark Tank.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I thought you would go, boo. No, I'm kidding.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no. But like, Tyler the creator.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Tyler the creator.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tyler the creator's in this movie.

[Timothee Chalamet]

You know Fran Drescher.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, good. Love Fran.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Fran Drescher, the nanny. If I say the nanny, I know.

[Questlove]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know what I'm talking about.

I know.

[Timothee Chalamet]

If I say the nanny, there's like a good 37% of people that watch it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Go.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The nanny. Yeah, we know the nanny.

[Timothee Chalamet]

We know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We all know that you play ping pong in the movie. How long did you spend?

[Timothee Chalamet]

This is about a six or seven year training process. I met with Josh Safdie in 2018 about this film. Now, when I say six, seven year training process, I don't mean day in and day out. It's more like on and off. I like to learn by osmosis, you know what I mean? So. No, that's not a joke, man.

[Matt Duffer]

That's serious.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What does that mean? That you slept in a ping pong paddle or something, man.

[Timothee Chalamet]

You got me tonight, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm good. I still have the Bob Dylan finishing mood. I'm gonna fire it. And I'm firing all silk.

[Matt Duffer]

Finish him.

[Timothee Chalamet]

That was amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love you.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Hope Bob's not watching this.

[Questlove]

I love.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, he loves that he didn't mind.

[Timothee Chalamet]

No, it was like a six, seven year thing. A lot of training and.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But I mean, like, during. This is probably Covid times, right?

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah, it started during COVID Josh approached me this in 2018. And ping pong is a great thing. You know, I go day in and day out playing with friends, playing the guitar for the Bob Dylan movie. The gift of my life, the gratitude exercise I live every morning is to go, wow. For some reason, I know actors I came up with, actresses I came up with that are more talented than me, that haven't gotten an opportunity to work. I'm getting the opportunity to work. Why not go 10,000% hard? And this movie's the manifestation of that. I know. Like, that's manifestation. People use that word too much. But, like, this is that movie, man. And everyone went super hard. People complain about remakes or big studio movies. Remakes I've been a part of, by the way, that I'm proud of. But this is an original film, if you want to see original films. I was going to say in original theaters. Original films. That doesn't make any sense. An original theater.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, but it probably was an original.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Theater at some point.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But if you want to go see an original. I agree with you. I hate to cut you off. If you want to see an original film, something brand new, if you even don't go to the theaters, go to see this in the theater. You won't regret it. And you're gonna be in love with movies.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I don't feel like you're gonna regret it, but I could be wrong.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no.

[Timothee Chalamet]

I don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Can you tell everyone who you play in Marty Supreme?

[Timothee Chalamet]

Marty supreme is loosely based on the story of Marty Reisman, who is an actual 1950s table tennis hustler in New York downtown, sort of a petty criminal. And it sort of begins as the story of this guy maniacally, singularly driven to be the greatest table tennis player of all time. And it segues into a sort of. I don't want to give too much away, but a sort of a heist and a thriller. And this is not just a movie, Cell Man. This movie's amazing, man. So. So I'm just saying, I'm not just hawking something to you guys like, this is the one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I loved it just. Yeah, yeah, It's. It's. It's action packed. It's frightening. It's a thriller, but it's funny and it has heart.

[Timothee Chalamet]

And you've actually seen it twice, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Actually twice.

[Timothee Chalamet]

And you wouldn't see something twice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That. That's true. Actually. I don't remember the last time I saw a movie twice.

[Timothee Chalamet]

What was the put your brain to it oh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Prize of the Godfather.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay, that's an. That's an uncontroversial answer right there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I made that up.

[Timothee Chalamet]

What about. What's the last time you saw a Fever Pitch?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Never saw that one, man.

[Timothee Chalamet]

You don't watch your own movies.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, whenever it's on stars or whatever. Stars, yeah. No, but I loved it so much. I loved the score. I love the soundtrack, by the way. It starts off with a little. I don't want to spoil it.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah. Peter Gabriel, Tears for Fears.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tears for Fears, Alphaville, you will be crying.

[Timothee Chalamet]

And the score was done by Opien Monotrix, who's just a fantastic composer. This is a young New York crew that worked on this movie. There's no studio big dogs involved. That's great too.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's gritty. It's gritty. It's like, great.

[Timothee Chalamet]

This has got that grit on it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, it does. And it really does. And even the cool. I think one of the coolest things that happened. You're on the COVID of a Wheaties.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Yeah. This is what I'm talking about. Yeah. Are you kidding me, Dude? Can you imagine? Yeah.

[Timothee Chalamet]

With my emaciated, borderline anemic frame. The only way I was ever gonna get on a Wheaties box was by way of the arts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's right.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Shout out all the arts kids out there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, that's right.

Shout out to all the kids out there in the arts. I was wondering if we'd have a bowl of Wheaties together. Do you like?

[Timothee Chalamet]

Please?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Absolutely.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Perfect.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Here you go.

[Questlove]

Great.

[Timothee Chalamet]

What do you usually have for breakfast? No.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thinking, oh, Japanese egg is my new thing.

[Timothee Chalamet]

What does that mean?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, man.

[Timothee Chalamet]

No. I don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's a rectangular pan and it involves rolling an omelet. Kind of rolling. It. It takes a long time, about three hours.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Do you do it three hours?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I do it myself. I'm an ace at it. Really? Next time you come on, I'll make one for you.

[Timothee Chalamet]

What time do you wake up? Normally?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'd say it's probably seven o'. Clock.

[Timothee Chalamet]

That's early.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know. I got the kids, man. Okay, so I got kids. I take them to school. All right.

[Timothee Chalamet]

How do you take them to school?

[Jimmy Fallon]

We have a gem car. You know what those are?

[Timothee Chalamet]

What's a gem?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's an electric type of almost golf cart. But it's street legal.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Because they're only like about 10 minutes from my house.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay. Where do your kids go to golf games?

[Jimmy Fallon]

What's their Social Security number? Wait, no. One of this is oat milk. It looks like that's oat milk.

[Timothee Chalamet]

That's oat milk.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, it's darker.

[Timothee Chalamet]

That's for my sense.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sensitive. Dark. I'll do oat milk with you.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, double oat, man. Okay.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Appreciate it, man. That is so rude. That's the rudest thing you've ever done to me.

[Matt Duffer]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right, man. Let's have a crunch on this one. Here's to the one and only Marty Supreme.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Hey, cheers.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cheers, bud.

[Timothee Chalamet]

We need cheers to Marty Supreme.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you.

Timothy Shower Anime Marty supreme is in theaters Christmas Day. Stick around, everybody.

What it is, what it is. Everybody know that, though.

Yeah.

Come on. Everybody know that.

Our next guests are the creators of.

The Emmy and Peabody Award winning hit series Stranger Things.

Volume two of the fifth and final.

Season begins streaming Christmas Day and the finale premieres New Year's Eve on Netflix. Please welcome Matt and Ross Duffer. Oh, my God, the Duffer brothers. I'm so excited to have you here. Welcome to the show. There's a lot to get into here. You've created, you've written, you've produced, directed, one of the most successful, one of the greatest shows in TV history. How does it feel? I mean, you've been a part of pop culture for the last dec. Yeah.

[Questlove]

I mean, no, I don't know. It doesn't feel like anything. I think mostly Ross and I are just so focused on making a show, which is good because then you can't all. Everything else you don't think about, you don't.

[Jimmy Fallon]

As much as it comes out and all the.

[Questlove]

What it's doing now, it's like TikTok and all this stuff, but you look at it occasionally and that. But it's unhealthy.

[Matt Duffer]

But then we're here and it's like, what. What are we doing here?

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is great. Deserve.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah, it is.

[Questlove]

It is like, yeah, this is surreal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Was there a particular moment that you through the years when you realize, oh, wait, this show is kind of a big deal?

[Matt Duffer]

Well, no one. No one thought season one was going.

[Questlove]

To be a hit.

[Matt Duffer]

No, no one did. Netflix didn't. We certainly didn't. But I remember when it came out, it was sort of slow, was like word of mouth. But then I remember there was this giant mural of Barb in Australia.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And at that point, I love Barb.

[Matt Duffer]

Something is happening. People are Actually watching this.

[Questlove]

Yeah. And then SNL made fun of us and that. So, like, once you're. Once you're getting made fun of on snl, it's like, okay, yeah, this is.

[Matt Duffer]

This is.

[Questlove]

This is a real thing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I read somewhere that you went to film school, but you into one film school, but then you decided not to go because they wanted to split you guys up.

[Matt Duffer]

That's right.

[Questlove]

True.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah. Florida State. Sorry, sorry.

[Questlove]

Florida State.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Why are you calling them out?

[Questlove]

Might as well call out all the film schools that reject it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, just call out that one. Where'd you end up. Where'd you end up going?

[Matt Duffer]

Chapman University in Orange. Orange, California.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Yeah. And you got to. And when did you know that you're going to be director? How young. When did you first get your first camera?

[Matt Duffer]

First camera was. It was third grade. We got our first camera, and we started with just making movies with our stuffed animals. So we did, like, a trilogy. We did the Stuffed Father Part One stuff, Father Part Two and Part three. Which was the worst?

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's so funny. Oh, my God.

[Questlove]

But, yeah, and then. So that. So that was stuffed animals. Then we graduated to, like, putting ourselves in movies. So the first. That was the fourth grade. We did it with our friend. It was a feature adaptation of Magic the Gathering Card Game. We were obsessed with that at the time, so we adapted it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You adapted and made Magic the Gathering.

[Questlove]

Magic the Gathering.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Now, you don't show. You've never shown this anywhere publicly, but you actually brought us a clip tonight. And I think you can see. I think you can see the influence this had on Stranger Things. Here's Magic the Gathering by the Duffer Brothers.

[Matt Duffer]

Watch.

[Questlove]

Oh, my.

[Matt Duffer]

Wow.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The special effects, I don't know how you. You got to float off the ground a couple inches. You could barely see the wires.

[Questlove]

The acting's incredible. The potential is obvious.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The potential for work.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Yeah.

[Questlove]

Yeah.

[Matt Duffer]

Our parents saw that and said they're going to make it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Something like that. Yeah, we're going to be fine. Yeah. Did. Matt, you were telling me that one of your daughter's first words were.

[Questlove]

It was. I think it was. Yeah, it was Demogorgon. So it was like. I think it was Demogorgon. Yeah. It was like, mommy, Daddy, Demogorgon. But it. I mean, obviously, I. You know, that was intentional. I taught her that. But we have a pinball, a Stranger Things pinball machine in the house.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is there Stranger Things pinball?

[Questlove]

There is. They are.

[Matt Duffer]

It's incredible.

[Questlove]

For anyone who collects pinball machines, that 20 of you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I love Pinball, my favorite.

[Questlove]

Yeah, you get to shoot the ball in the demo's mouth. Whatever. But anyway, she. So she's really into monsters now, which is great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're proud of that.

[Questlove]

She's four, so. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Good for you.

[Questlove]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Was it Demogorgon? Did it always look like this in your brains? Not.

[Matt Duffer]

No, not always that. Not always. We knew season one, we needed it to be a guy in a suit. We didn't have a lot of money, so we were going to put. We put a guy named Mark in a suit, so it had to fit Mark. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. Yeah.

[Matt Duffer]

We got the skinniest guy we could find.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Questlove]

Mark's skinny.

[Matt Duffer]

He is very skinny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Isn't that Timothy Chalamet?

[Matt Duffer]

He would have been great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He would have been perfect.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah.

[Questlove]

I don't know if he was available.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So you got Mark and you got him in a scary suit, and then you go, now what do we do?

[Questlove]

Yeah.

[Matt Duffer]

And then we worked with the concept designer, and the main thing that we told them, a lot of designs came through, but the main thing we said is we want to be able to have a design that if you're a young kid and you've seen the show, you can just draw it very easily. So that's how the petals came out, because it's pretty simple to draw.

[Questlove]

Yeah. It's basically a flower and then arms and a leg.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Now they look at it. It is a flower man. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Questlove]

You actually really stare at it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I gotta say, you have a great eye for casting. It's one of the best casts in the history of television. Every single kid is charming, smart, cool. They act great. I can't get enough of them. And then 10 years later, they're still great.

[Timothee Chalamet]

That's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Gosh, you guys won really hard on that. How did you cast this?

[Questlove]

I mean. Well, first of all, we had amazing casting director Carmen Cuba, and then we.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Carmen Cuba? Yes. Shout out.

[Questlove]

Yeah. She's amazing. And so we just know you just cast a Wynette, and then a bunch of kids obviously submit tapes, and then only very few. I mean, very few of them can act. So it's not that hard, right? I mean, most of them are pretty bad.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Questlove]

And then. And then you're just looking for a kid who feels real and authentic. And also, it was like, who have we not seen on television before? Like, Finn's. I know he was just on, but Finn's tape came in. He was sick in bed, you know, just. And his dad was filming him and it just felt very real. And I was like, I haven't seen a kid like this on tv. Gaten looked like a little Muppet and we just fell in love with him. So it was almost immediate. It wasn't like we brought in a lot of kids to test.

[Matt Duffer]

It was like we knew who they were.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Millie, Bobby Brown, but even Nancy, you know, Steve Harrington. Derek. Let's talk about Derek.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah, he was just on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He was on.

[Questlove]

Dude, how I'm so proud of him. He made it to your show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, he did.

Well, he crushed. He's crushing right now.

[Questlove]

I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

People love him.

[Matt Duffer]

I know.

[Questlove]

I'm so. Yeah, he's the best.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love everyone here. I thought I would ask you about how it all ends. I know you can't tell us, but did you know in your head when you did season one?

[Questlove]

No. Cause we thought you say yes. Oh, someone else. Too late.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I've said no. Wow. Brother alert. Yeah. There we go.

[Matt Duffer]

We had originally planned it as a one season thing, and we were shopping it around and then Netflix, everyone said no.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Except everyone said no to Stranger Things.

[Matt Duffer]

Everyone said no. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What's that? Like when you're pitching this and you're like, no, trust me, this is cool.

[Timothee Chalamet]

It's, it's, it's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's set in the 80s.

[Timothee Chalamet]

It's.

[Questlove]

I mean, see it in their eye.

[Matt Duffer]

You see it in their eyes right away. You're like two minutes in the pitch and it's just dead eyes.

[Questlove]

Sometimes even sooner than two minutes.

[Matt Duffer]

Yeah.

[Questlove]

Like you walk into the room and just nothing.

[Matt Duffer]

They don't care. They don't care.

[Questlove]

Just not. They see me in Ross.

[Matt Duffer]

No one want. It was a show, now it's a success. Easy to say, but it was, you know, it was a show not for kids, starring kids. It was set in the 80s. No one wanted a period piece. And so it was. And then we were just failures. So it was not a very sexy pitch. But Netflix, they said, look at you now, Ben.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You showed everybody. Come on, man. You work.

You work hard. You can do it.

[Questlove]

You got to have that Marty Supreme.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, you got to have that. You do have that. The ending. Our people online are all guessing how it's going to end. Have you seen any theories and are any of them that you've seen correct?

[Matt Duffer]

No. No, no.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, there you go.

[Timothee Chalamet]

Wow.

[Matt Duffer]

I've seen a lot of theories. None of them have got the ending right. None of them.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, good. You keep it tricky. Every season I go, how are they gonna do this still? And you keep me I go. That's another great move. They did another great move.

Thank you so much for being here. Congrats on the last 10 years.

You guys are brilliant. I love you, man. You're so talented.

Matt and Ross Duffer, Volume 2 of Stranger Things 5 begins streaming Christmas Day. The finale premieres New Year's Eve on Netflix. Stick around. My thanks to Timothee Chalamet, the Duffer Brothers, and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Good night, everybody. Thank you.

Thanks for listening to the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Don't forget to subscribe to get the latest episodes weekday mornings. Wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon, weeknights on NBC and streaming on Peacock.