Jamie Lee Curtis and others responded to Timothée Chalamet’s comments on the ballet and opera this weekend, adding fuel to a fire that began raging after his words were shared on social media.
Curtis weighed in on the debate Friday by sharing multiple videos via her Instagram Stories that questioned why Chalamet would slam ballet and opera in a time when A.I. potentially threatens most forms of art. Though, she did not offer up a direct statement on the controversy.
In contrast, The New York Times came to Chalamet’s defense, publishing an opinion piece Friday, titled, “Timothée Chalamet Has a Point About Ballet.” (More on that later on.)
The drama began this week, when an out-of-context clip of Chalamet showed the actor saying “no one cares” about ballet or opera.
“I don’t wanna 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 thing anymore,’” Chalamet said during last month’s Variety and CNN town hall. “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership, but um, yeah, I just took shots for no reason.”
As one might expect, the comments spurred a flurry of responses from stage stars and opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera House, who wrote on social media in response, “This one is for you, Timothée Chalamet,” before showing some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making one of its productions.
The Royal Ballet and Opera issued a more direct response, writing, “Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation — they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms. Their influence can be felt across theatre, film, contemporary music, fashion, and beyond. For centuries, these disciplines have shaped the way artists create and audiences experience culture, and today millions of people around the world continue to enjoy and engage with them.”
Additionally, opera singer Isabel Leonard sounded off on the situation, noting on social media, “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art while considering himself as [an] artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor.”
However, others have since defended the young actor, suggesting Chalamet wasn’t far off on his criticism. “Y’all, come on. I used to work for an opera company. My checks—which I needed to pay rent—bounced more than once,” reporter Billy Binion wrote on X. “Glib phrasing aside, Timothée Chalamet is right: very few people care about opera. It sucks, but that’s reality.”
As we mentioned, the New York Times also published a defense of Chalamet, suggesting in their headline that the actor had “a point about ballet.”
“He shouldn’t have brought up an idea that he couldn’t properly flesh out … yet what he said wasn’t untrue,” the storied outlet wrote. “It was clearsighted, even practical. As someone from a dance family, he knows this world.”
“His comments are harsh to hear, but this is the frustration of working in the fine arts,” the article continued.
Chalamet has yet to weigh in on the growing controversy, though, it appears that plenty of people are speaking on his behalf.
