There’s a lot that can be said about the casting in Marty Supreme, but there’s one non-traditional actor sharing the screen with Timothée Chalamet who has captivated me ever since I saw the film’s trailer last year. I’m talking about Kevin O’Leary, the Shark Tank staple who plays Milton Rockwell, the pen magnate who’s all too familiar with Marty Mauser’s schemes. While I think he was great in all of his scenes, there’s one moment involving “Mr. Wonderful” that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.
If you thought I was referring to the wildly uncomfortable paddling scene in one of 2025’s best movies, then you’re wrong. Instead, I’m talking about the off-the-wall “vampire” speech near the end of the movie that is truly the most bizarre thing I saw last year. After reading about the origin of that unforgettable moment, I’m even more shocked by how far O’Leary tried to take it.
Milton Rockwell’s ‘I’m A Vampire’ Speech Caught Me Off Guard, And I Didn’t Know What To Think
Near the end of the movie, when Marty is about to go back on his word and not throw the match against Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi) that Milton Rockwell has fixed, the vengeful multi-millionaire lets out the most insane little speech:
Let me explain to you. I was born in 1601. I'm a vampire. I've been around forever. I've met many Marty Mausers over the centuries. Some of them crossed me, some of them weren't straight. They weren't honest. And those are the ones that are still here. You go out and win that game, you're gonna be here forever too. And you'll never be happy. You will never be happy.
For a moment there, I thought Josh Safdie has secretly made a vampire movie instead of a sports biopic without telling anyone. After the initial shock wore off, I came to the realization that Rockwell was just showing off his power and anger after being made to look like a fool in front of thousands of people. Still though, it legitimately caught me off guard.
Not Only Did Kevin O’Leary Come Up With The Line, But He Also Wanted To Take It Further
In the days after watching Marty Supreme, I found myself not being able to stop thinking about that speech like I was Ellen Hutter obsessed with Count Orlok in Nosferatu. It didn’t take long for me to find a New York Times interview with O’Leary where he admitted that not only did he come up with the scene, but that he originally pitched an even wilder version to screenwriter Ronald Bronstein. He told the writer:
‘Guys, this Marty Supreme guy, I would never let anybody [expletive] me over like this. This would never happen to me, ever. And he is not paying an adequate price.’ This is when we’re reading it on the dock. ‘I’m a vampire. I would bite his neck to put him in hell in perpetuity for what he’s done to me here.’ And Ronnie said, ‘That’s sick. Let’s think about that.’ I’m glad that kind of got in there.
Why Bronstein and Safdie didn’t allow the Shark Tank OG to take a bite out of Chalamet’s neck is pretty obvious, but it would have been something for the movie to take that turn. Maybe this will lead to O’Leary penning a vampire script if his day job doesn’t work out.
Though Kevin O’Leary isn’t nominated for any major awards (not yet, anyway), I have a feeling his younger co-star will continue receiving a ton of praise at the Golden Globes and other major shows in the next few weeks and months.
