Timothée Chalamet He first took aim at ballet and opera years before suggesting in a recent interview that both were dying art forms.
“I thought, woe betide me, but whether you’re working in movies or acting, or doing your thing, I started to get the feeling that [movies were]like opera or ballet or something like that. It’s like a dying art form or something,” Chalamet, 30, said in a 2019 TikTok clip that resurfaced in the wake of his latest comments.
Chalamet made the remarks during a promotional screening of his 2019 film. The King. The four-time Oscar nominee cited the cultural conversation surrounding his hit films. call me by your name and Ladybug as proof that cinema was not disappearing.
TikTok user @thealienstookover explained in the caption that they re-uploaded the images to show that Chalamet has a history of denigrating opera and ballet.
Timothée Chalamet is proud of his work in the film Marty Supreme, but his latest comments about his performance have left fans divided. “This is probably my best performance, you know, and it’s been like seven or eight years where I feel like I’ve done really committed, top-notch performances,” Chalamet, 29, said in […]
“I took this video on October 1, 2019,” they wrote. “I was excited to see this movie and we had a surprise appearance from him at our theater. With his recent comments about ballet and opera, he wanted to see my video. I thought I remembered him saying something different. Unfortunately, I was confused and he’s been thinking like that for years. What a disappointment.”
In February, Chalamet sparked debate by apparently dismissing ballet and opera during an interview with Matthew McConaughey for Variety.
“Some people want to be entertained quickly. I’m in the middle,” he said. marty supreme the actor admitted. “Because I admire people and I’ve done it myself on a talk show, [saying]’Hey, we have to keep movie theaters alive.’ We have to keep this genre alive.”
He added: “Another part of me feels that, if people want to see it, Barbieas oppenheimerThey will go see it and do everything they can to be loud and proud of it. “I don’t want to work in ballet or opera where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this alive, even though no one cares anymore.'”
Chalamet apparently realized the shade he had cast because he quickly offered “all respect to the ballet and opera people.”
“Damn, I just shot for no reason,” he joked.
Timothée Chalamet in March 2026.
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesHis latest comments have come as particularly surprising to some because Chalamet’s mother, Nicole FlenderShe is a former Broadway dancer.
It didn’t take long for some of the world’s most famous ballets and operas to respond to Chalamet. The Metropolitan Opera shared clips via Instagram showing the skillful craftsmanship that goes into creating each high-level opera performance.
Quoting Chalamet, the Met Opera responded on Thursday, March 5: “All due respect to the opera (and ballet) people. This is for you, @tchalamet.”
“It’s going to sing a different tune when live arts are all that’s left after AI takes over. Oh, wait. It’s above singing a tune,” Tony winner. Laura Benati he joked in the Met Opera comments section.
The Los Angeles Opera took a different approach by encouraging Chalamet to come see a performance of Akhenaten during his residence in the city. Meanwhile, the UK’s Royal Ballet published a tribute to its dancers.
“Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather to see ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance,” they wrote on Friday, March 6. “If you want to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open. ✨#TheRoyalBallet #TheRoyalOpera #RoyalBalletAndOpera.”
Chelsea Handler doesn’t like how Timothée Chalamet handled his Marty Supreme press tour. “He seemed very serious about winning and being recognized for his great performance,” the comedian, 50, said of Chalamet, 30, during an appearance on the Tuesday, January 14, episode of Amanda Hirsch’s “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. Before […]
oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, dancing with the stars pro Sharna Burgess and pop star doja cat They have also shown support for the opera and ballet communities in the wake of the controversy.
“Opera is 400 years old. Ballet is 500 years old,” Doja Cat, 30, responded via TikTok on Sunday, March 8. “Someone named Timothée Chalamet (a big guy, by the way) had the nerve to say on camera that no one cares.”
The “Agora Hills” rapper continued, “I’m sure you can walk into an opera house right now, the seats will be full and no one says a word while the performance is going on because everyone has so much respect for it. There’s an etiquette around opera. There’s an etiquette around ballet. It’s incredible. It’s an incredible theatrical medium. It’s fucking beautiful.”
Chalamet has not responded to the reaction.