Timothée Chalamethas found himself in hot water with the ballet and opera communities after a resurfaced interview showed him saying that 'no one cares' about these art forms anymore.
The comment came during a conversation with Matthew McConaughey at a February 24 town hall event hosted byVariety(and also covered by CNN). The pair were discussing the current state of cinema, particularly how audiences today often prefer entertainment that grabs attention quickly.
Chalamet was reflecting on how films compete for viewers' time in the age of streaming and short attention spans. He mentioned how movies likeBarbieandOppenheimerstill draw crowds because people go out of their way to see them loudly and proudly.
From that larger point about keeping cinema alive, Chalamet turned to talk about art forms that he feels operate very differently. He joked that he wouldn't want to work in ballet or opera, saying, 'things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though nobody cares about this anymore.'
He followed the remark with a self‑aware line: 'I just lost 14 cents in viewership,' acknowledging it might be taken the wrong way.
Chalamet's Ballet and Opera Comments Draw Fire
While Chalamet appeared to be self-deprecating, many in the arts world saw it as dismissive of their craft.
Canadian opera singer Deepa Johnny commented: 'There is nothing more impressive than the magic of live theatre, ballet, and opera. We should be trying to uplift these art forms, these artists and come together across disciplines to do that.'
Irish opera singer Seán Tester added on Instagram: 'It's always fascinating when artists with global platforms dismiss opera and ballet as irrelevant. Opera and ballet have survived wars ... To call these art forms irrelevant says far less about the art itself than it does about how little time someone has spent truly experiencing it.'
The UK's Royal Ballet and Royal Opera issued a statement reminding audiences of their ongoing relevance: 'Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation — they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms.'
Source: International Business Times UK
