Podcast Summary: “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” with Cody Rhodes — Timothée Chalamet

Release Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Cody Rhodes (WWE Superstar)
Guest: Timothée Chalamet (Actor)
Setting: Fanatics x WWE Lounge, New York

Episode Overview

In this lively, unfiltered conversation, Cody Rhodes sits down with Timothée Chalamet—star of the upcoming movie Marty Supreme—for a deep dive into wrestling’s place in pop culture, the pursuit of greatness, and parallels between show business, sports, and personal growth. The discussion brims with mutual respect, candid stories, and personal philosophy, seamlessly blending wrestling lore with Hollywood inside talk and Chalamet’s love for WWE.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nervous Beginnings & Wrestling’s Pop Culture Ascent

• Cody admits nerves introducing Timothée, comparing it to his father Dusty Rhodes meeting Johnny Cash ([02:16]).
• Chalamet: “I don’t think in 2025, wrestling’s downstream from pop culture… I think it is pop culture now.” ([03:35])

2. Marty Supreme & Art Imitating Life

• Timothée talks about his new film, its sports-entertainment DNA, and training for high-level table tennis ([04:08], [04:31]).
  • On preparation: “I trained many years… the best table tennis players in the world couldn’t execute a 12-point sequence that’s pre-memorized.” ([04:31])
• Discussion of the movie’s themes: adulthood, ambition, ambiguous morality ([06:05]).
  • “The movie’s about being an idiot in your 20s… confrontation with adulthood, fatherhood, manhood.” — Chalamet ([06:10])
  • Cody relates, comparing Marty’s journey to his own wrestling career crossroads and how having children shifts perspective ([18:54]).

3. Wrestling’s Archetypes & Behind-the-Scenes

• Chalamet’s wrestling knowledge impresses Cody; they riff on legends: Paul Heyman, The Boogeyman, The Undertaker ([08:08], [11:20]).
  • Chalamet: “Paul Heyman… brings a level of authenticity. My favorite pay-per-view ever is ECW One Night Stand in New York, Hammerstein.” ([08:15], [08:22])
• Discussion of “proper lighting guys”—characters who need special effects or mystique (Undertaker, Boogeyman) ([11:14]).

4. Wrestling's Evolution and The “Risk & Reward” of Authenticity

• The hosts discuss the modernizing of wrestling, pulling the curtain back (“work under the work”), and the influence of series like Unreal on Netflix ([13:06], [13:19]).
• Chalamet on using real-life drama in the ring: “I love how… shameless [wrestling] is—so American.” ([13:47])

5. Respect & Trust in the Wrestling Business

• Cody describes the intense trust needed in the ring: “If you’re going to pick me up and slam me on this table… level of trust, I need you to do it in a way that… I can walk away.” ([14:06])

6. Wrestling/Bob Dylan Analogies

• Who’s wrestling’s Bob Dylan? The two debate idiosyncratic and mysterious stars, settle (for a moment) on Jake “The Snake” Roberts ([17:13]).

7. Pursuit of Greatness, Regret, and Growth

• Cody on ambition: “I did make… bad decisions… to get there. Now… I can’t see myself doing them.” ([18:54])
• Chalamet: “You’re not living for yourself anymore. You’re living for people that are depending on you.” ([19:35])

8. Making of Marty Supreme: Script, Pacing, and Artistic Intent

• Timothée details the unorthodox approach to script and pacing; not just for “pretentious Hollywood types,” but engaging and artful ([21:59]).
  • “The pacing is engaging… but also it has a really artful quality to it.” ([21:58])
• Parallels with wrestling: “I wanted to see if I could get it all… artistic success and commercial success.” — Cody ([22:18])
  • Chalamet: “The archetypes are so clear… a Hulk Hogan and a John Cena being a company man vs an Undertaker, Kane—never speaks but is perhaps just as popular.” ([23:31])

9. WWE, New York, and Celebrity Crossovers

• Knicks fandom: Chalamet is dubbed “prince of New York City” ([25:36]).
• The phenomenon of Bad Bunny in WWE, fan reception, and memorable crowd moments ([25:53]).
  • Cody: “He kind of put us to shame… That would have been a great way to end the night because they had toys, they had wrestling, they had gimmicks.” ([26:30])
• On Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and wrestling in classic New York venues ([27:18]).

10. Chair Shots, Pyro, and Wrestling Nostalgia

• Cody shares a grisly story about a botched “safe” chair shot ([31:13]).
  • “Swing for the fences is the dumbest thing to tell another wrestler.” ([32:08])
• Nostalgia for pyrotechnic entrances; Chalamet’s favorites are Randy Orton’s “pyro shower” and Goldberg ([46:05]).
• Jeff Hardy’s in-ring artistry and famous backstage stories ([47:30], [48:05]).

11. The “Pursuit of Greatness” Speech

• Cody asks about Chalamet’s famous “pursuit of greatness” line ([51:21]).
  • Chalamet: “It’s just what I was feeling… you put something out in the world and that’s how it’s framed, see if it rubs people the wrong way or the right way… you have to shout it sometimes to get heard.” ([52:08])
  • Cody responds with admiration: “Mediocrity loves company. And when you find a circle of people… even those closest to you don’t want you to go for it.” ([53:29])
  • Chalamet: “They say in Australia, ‘Tall Poppy syndrome’… You have to be your biggest fan and your biggest supporter.” ([53:29])

12. On Evolving Icons & New Roles

• Discussion of Fran Drescher, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Winona Ryder in Marty Supreme, and the joy of seeing icons grow into new roles ([56:04]).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Cody (on nerves):
  “This might be the first time I’ve ever been nervous introducing somebody on the podcast.” ([02:22])

• Chalamet (on wrestling/pop culture):
  “Wrestling’s not downstream from pop culture now. I think it is pop culture.” ([03:35])

• Chalamet (on ambition):
  “The movie’s about being an idiot in your 20s… confrontation with adulthood, fatherhood, manhood.” ([06:05])

• Cody (on trust in wrestling):
  “I need you… to do it in a way that that segment ends and I can walk away and I can go back to my family.” ([14:06])

• Chalamet (on being bold):
  “You have to be your biggest fan and your biggest supporter… we’re in a culture of just… it’s hard.” ([53:29])

• Cody (on fake fans):
  “We get a lot of fake nerd girls, if that makes any sense. Where it’s ‘I love Star Wars.’ No, you don’t.” ([55:04])

Key Segments & Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 01:37 | Podcast proper begins; intro and setting | | 02:13–04:08| Timothée’s film, nerves, parallels to meeting icons | | 04:31–06:10| Making Marty Supreme, table tennis training, themes| | 08:08–12:19| Paul Heyman, The Boogeyman, backstage stories | | 13:06–14:06| Opening the curtain, authenticity, wrestling risks | | 17:13–18:39| “Bob Dylan of wrestling?”, bad decisions, drive | | 18:54–19:42| Parenthood, perspective shifts, ambition | | 21:59–23:31| Film pacing, wrestling/film crossover | | 25:51–26:35| Knicks, Bad Bunny, crossover star power | | 31:13–33:48| Chair shots, industry changes, safety | | 35:19–37:41| Filming in New York, personal stories | | 39:36–41:06| College GameDay, staying prepared | | 42:33–43:55| Movie promo timing, working with Dave Bautista | | 46:02–47:47| Favorite pyros, Jeff Hardy, wrestling stories | | 51:21–54:31| Pursuit of greatness, making it explicit | | 56:04–57:05| Evolving icons—Fran Drescher, Gwyneth Paltrow |

Tone & Takeaways

Both Cody and Timothée maintain a tone that is candid, deeply respectful, and frequently playful—serving wrestling deep cuts, Hollywood anecdotes, and life wisdom in equal measure. For non-listeners or those new to WWE, this episode opens up how wrestling, movies, and the pursuit of authenticity and greatness are more similar than not—and how these high-profile creatives see themselves as both artists and fans.

Final Moments:
Cody and Timothée share gratitude and anticipation for Marty Supreme (Christmas Day release), a mutual longing for ambition in their fields, and a few words on the challenge and thrill of evolving in the public eye.

For All Listeners:
Whether you’re a wrestling aficionado, a cinephile, or simply fascinated by the pursuit of greatness, this episode blends industry insight and human vulnerability with enough laughs and nostalgia to keep you entertained and inspired.