Kevin O'Leary is proudly waving his “asshole” flag this Christmas, but not in the way you might be used to.
The Canadian businessman-turned-TV host, future political leader and Trump pal features prominently in the new film, which may be the worst casting of the year. Marty Supreme.
O'Leary is perhaps best known for his work as an investor at CBC. Dragons' Denwhich he left in 2014and adaptation for the USA Shark Tank.
Although he bills himself as “Mr. Wonderful”, he is best known for his abrasive personality in front of the camera. He's leaning on this asshole label, promoting the film, making jokes about Vanity Fair that it was “starting to work for me.”
But how did he end up in Josh Safdie's film alongside stars Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow in the first place?
That's what some film critics—and O'Leary's critics—are interested in.
“I was excited about this movie, but man, Kevin O'Leary is just so trash. Not sure if this is genius casting, but when I saw it, I frowned,” Canadian Reddit user. wrote in the topic titled: “Anyone else upset that Kevin O'Leary Marty Supreme?”
WATCH | Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin O'Leary in the movie Marty Supreme:
We need to talk about Kevin
O'Leary's No. 101 is that the 71-year-old was born in Montreal and made a name for himself in the business world by founding technology company SoftKey (later known as The Learning Company) in 1986 and selling it to Mattel 13 years later in a deal worth as much as $4 billion.
He also founded his own investment firm and has become a television regular since the 2000s as the host of business shows, including CBC News Network programs. Lang and O'Leary trade, Dragons' Den And Shark Tankwhich airs on ABC in the US and CTV in Canada.
O'Leary briefly campaigned to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2017.
He also made headlines 2019 boat wreck in the Muskoka region of Ontario that left two people dead and led to charges against his wife, Linda O'Leary. She was found not guilty careless operation of the vessel in 2021.
Kevin O'Leary (or “Mr. Wonderful”) is perhaps the most controversial Dragon to ever grace the Lair. He gives a frank account of his time in the Dragons' Den.
How O'Leary curbed Supreme
Marty Supreme tells the story of Marty Mauser (Chalamet), a 1950s table tennis player convinced of his destiny as a generational talent.
O'Leary plays in a supporting role. Milton Rockwell, a wealthy impresario who takes an interest in Marty Chalamet.
“In a world where you can cast any actor, casting Kevin O'Leary is about as frivolous as it gets,” Dee Golding, film critic and columnist for CBC Radio, told CBC Ottawa's All in a Day last week.
But Safdie said he wanted someone for the role who could “realize the ruthless American dream.”
“It was one of the most challenging roles,” Safdie explained CBC Radio Question. “[You need] someone who can convey corporate colonialism, early globalism, the ruthless businessman, cold corporate greed. And I met with the actors, and they were wrong.”
He told guest host Talia Schlanger that O'Leary “instantly improved every line” when they read the script.
20:40Josh Safdie on Marty Supreme and the loneliness of the pursuit of success
Although Golding was not a fan, other critics considered O'Leary's casting as Rockwell a success.
“All of O'Leary's essential characteristics are present: his political insensitivity, ruthlessness and bloodlust,” he wrote. CutoutCat Zhang.
The film itself is receiving generally positive reviews, with a rating of 95 percent on the site. Rotten Tomatoes – and he's in serious contention for a number of nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards.
And, in case you were wondering, the studio A24 pushes O'Leary for Oscar consideration in the category Best Supporting Actor. So far, he has not been nominated for any of the key predecessor awards and is not among the top tier contenders, according to presenters industry publications And bookmakers.
CBC's Jackson Weaver is one of the lucky ones who gets to watch hundreds of films every year. And now he's ranked among the top five players in 2025.
What makes Mister Wonderful a real…
O'Leary seems to want the world to know that Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein were looking for a “real jerk” when they filmed it, as he revealed in an interview with the publication Hollywood Reporter, TMZ and others.
“I'm not an asshole,” he explained. Vanity Fair. “I'm just telling the truth, and some people don't like it. I think maybe after this I'll become the honorary chairman of all the assholes in the world. And I will gladly take on this work.”
According to Cambridge Dictionarythe word is a vulgar term used to describe someone who is considered “stupid or obnoxious” – and this is how some people may mean it.
Other commenters on the above thread on Reddit described it as “evil“A”traitor“and even went so far as to say that they I won't watch the movie “especially because of the casting.”
In particular, it has been a divisive issue among Canadians in the past year.
O'Leary is friends with Donald Trump. He spent time at the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, supported some MAGA rules and faced backlash for it. his doubles to Trump's repeated comments about Canada becoming the 51st state.
former O'Leary Dragons' Den colleague Arlene Dickinson wrote in Post on LinkedIn in March, he said his “entire brand is bombastic theatrics – big statements with few facts, flashy shots and anything that gets the cameras on him.”
But it's not just his business style and political views that have some people supporting him.
Earlier this year, he also made controversial comments about Jeffrey Epstein, saying “nobody gives a damn” about the deceased sex offender who had ties to Trump and adding about Epstein's sex trafficking victims: “Maybe they were raped, maybe they weren't.”
Even while promoting the film, he raised some eyebrows by declaring that A24 “could save millions.”sing extras created by AI instead of casting people in supporting roles in films like Marty Supreme. He later said his statements were taken out of context.
WATCH | How Kevin O'Leary believes Canada should be more united with the US:
