Timothée Chalamet seemed to know the second the words came out of his mouth that he would get some backlash. But the three-time Oscar nominee for best actor probably didn’t anticipate just how fierce and widespread the backlash would be.
Just days before the 98th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, Chalamet is facing global criticism for saying that “no one cares” about ballet or opera.
Here’s a look at a few responses to the viral moment — including reactions from Utah Opera and Ballet West in Salt Lake City — and if the statement could affect Chalamet’s chances of securing his first Oscar.
What did Timothée Chalamet say about ballet and opera?
During a recent town hall conversation hosted by CNN and Variety, Chalamet and his “Interstellar” co-star Matthew McConaughey were chatting about keeping movie theaters relevant — particularly the art of slower-moving, deliberately paced films — in an age of rapid social media scrolling and short attention spans.
Chalamet said he had a middle-of-the-road approach to the issue.
“I admire people — and I’ve done it myself — who go on a talk show and go, ‘Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. You know, we gotta keep this genre alive,’” he told McConaughey. “And another part of me feels like, if people want to see it, like ‘Barbie,’ like ‘Oppenheimer,’ they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it.”
Chalamet then drew a comparison to other art forms — which has become the source of the rampant backlash.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore,” he said.
The actor — whose grandmother, mother and sister all danced with the New York City Ballet — seemed to recognize immediately that these words might not go over well.
“All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” he added with a laugh. “I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”
The moment, while fleeting, took off online and has sparked a wide range of reactions from artists and arts organizations throughout the world.
Reactions to Timothée Chalamet’s comment about ballet and opera
The “Weekend Update” segment on “Saturday Night Live” briefly highlighted the wrath Chalamet is currently facing from the arts world.
“Chalamet is being criticized by major opera and ballet organizations after he said that no one cares about those art forms,” “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost said. “Chalamet made the comment on a press tour for his movie about Ping-Pong.”
Seattle Opera had perhaps one of the most clever responses to the moment, turning Chalamet’s comment into a successful marketing campaign.
This past weekend, the company offered a 14% discount for its production of “Carmen” with the promo code “TIMOTHEE.”
“Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too. See you at the opera!” the company wrote in an Instagram post that has more than 100,000 likes.
“All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there,” the Metropolitan Opera captioned a video that shows the intensive work that goes into putting on a production. The video has 450,000 likes.
Chalamet’s words also drew attention in Utah — including from Ballet West and Utah Opera.
“Ballet is dying? Someone forgot to tell us,” Ballet West captioned a video featuring a few of its dancers. “We’ll save you a seat, @tchalamet.”
Ballet West didn’t provide an additional comment to the Deseret News, but pointed to its 2024-25 annual report that shows “The Nutcracker” surpassed $3 million in revenue last year — setting a new record for the production for the fourth year in a row.
Utah Opera, meanwhile, shared a video on social media highlighting a recent performance of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” that had 504 students and teachers in the audience.
“Their cheers and standing ovation at curtain call told a different story,” the company captioned the video. “Opera is alive, joyful, and inspiring the next generation of audiences.”
In a statement to the Deseret News, Christopher McBeth, artistic director of Utah Opera, noted that Chalamet would likely come to view his statement on ballet and opera as a “rather unfortunate gaffe” if he hasn’t already — especially since the actor has previously spoken on the importance of the performing arts and their contribution to culture.
“I expect that the son, brother, and grandchild of ballet dancers has received some grief from within his circle as well as the heaping amount we all see in social media,” McBeth shared in his statement to the Deseret News. “Mr. Chalamet is a fine artist and those of us at Utah Symphony Utah Opera extend an invitation to him to join us for performances at one of our many main offerings, which have reported year-over-year growth since emerging from the shutdown of 2020, or for any of our education performances which serve well over 100,000 students and teachers annually.
“I imagine that if he did he would have a far different view of the performing arts in general and opera/ballet in particular,” McBeth continued. “We would even be happy to allow him to join us on stage at the opera in a feature walk-on role … non-singing of course."
In support of Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet does have some support amid this controversy.
Gia Kourlas, a dance critic for The New York Times, posted an opinion piece with the following headline: “Timothée Chalamet has a point about ballet.”
“Chalamet’s point wasn’t that ballet and opera don’t matter, but that it isn’t really part of mainstream culture,” Kourlas wrote. “He was dismissing these art forms’ roles in our society, and is he wrong? The value of ballet and opera, and people’s perception around their value, are two different things.
“He shouldn’t have brought up an idea that he couldn’t properly flesh out,” Kourlas added. ”I think the look on his face shows that he knew better.”
Kourlas noted that Chalamet, who grew up in a family of professionally trained dancers, likely knows the art form is alive — and has seen firsthand the great discipline that is required to keep it moving forward.
“I don’t believe that Chalamet thinks it’s easier to be a dancer than a film actor,” Kourlas wrote. “But he knows that movies have not only the potential to last but also to reach larger audiences, while the performing arts don’t.
“Chalamet’s words, sadly, prove another point about ballet’s role in popular culture: The reason the mainstream media is talking about ballet this week is because a celebrity talked about it first,” Kourlas continued. “If a dancer said that a film didn’t matter, it would be like a tree falling in the woods.”
Does this affect Timothée Chalamet’s chances of an Oscar?
Chalamet is under fire as he’s up for a best actor Oscar for his lead role in “Marty Supreme” Sunday night.
The voting window for the Oscars concluded on March 5. Although Chalamet’s town hall conversation aired on Feb. 21, his comment about ballet and opera didn’t start to go viral until this past weekend, shortly after the voting window had closed. So the comment likely won’t impact his chances of winning an Oscar.
As Entertainment Weekly reported, though, Chalamet, who has been a best actor front-runner for a majority of the awards season, has lost some momentum. At the recent Actor Awards, which is viewed as a significant predictor of Oscar success, Michael B. Jordan won for his dual roles in “Sinners.”