(Image Source: Variety)
Timothée Chalamet, currently deep into awards season campaigning for his new film "Marty Supreme," has unexpectedly stumbled into a public relations crisis that could jeopardize his path to an Oscar nomination this year. The controversy erupted after Chalamet, during a post-screening Q&A for "Marty Supreme" with Matthew McConaughey, casually remarked that "no one wants to watch opera and ballet anymore." This statement quickly drew widespread criticism from netizens who felt he was disrespecting the art forms. While initially overlooked, the comments gained significant traction over the past few days, sparking a heated debate.
During the event, Chalamet and McConaughey were discussing the shrinking audience for movie theaters. Chalamet noted that due to the decline of the theatrical market, he sometimes felt compelled to publicly urge audiences to support cinemas. "I've tried to save the cinema myself," Chalamet explained. "I've gone on talk shows and said, 'Hey, we've got to keep the cinemas alive, we've got to keep these types of movies alive.' But on the other hand, I also feel that if people genuinely want to see films like 'Barbie' or 'Oppenheimer,' they will naturally go see them, and they will express their love for these films loudly and without reservation."
(Image Source: Variety)
Chalamet then uttered the words that ignited the online fury: "But I don't want to be involved in ballet or opera, or, you know, those kinds of performances where we have to advocate, 'Hey, we have to keep this thing alive, even though it feels like no one cares about it anymore.' But I salute all ballet dancers and opera performers. I think I just lost 14 cents worth of clicks and was attacked for no reason." After these remarks circulated, media outlets quickly uncovered that Chalamet's mother, Nicole Flender, was a ballet dancer in New York. It remains unclear how she might feel about his comments.
(Image Source: Instagram)
As the controversy intensified, a growing number of netizens pushed back against Chalamet, asserting that a significant audience still cherishes these art forms. Some users pointed out that ballet and opera aren't unpopular, but rather have higher barriers to entry due to more expensive ticket prices. One user sarcastically added that live performances like opera and ballet could never be replaced by AI, unlike the film and television productions Chalamet typically stars in, which could theoretically be generated from scratch.
After the user's video went viral, Ethan Hawke was notably seen liking the post in agreement. Other Hollywood stars, including Helen Hunt, Eva Mendes, Christina Hendricks, and "Fifty Shades of Grey" director Sam Taylor-Johnson, also commented in support.