Timothée Chalamet walks the 2026 Actor Awards red carpet
Timothée Chalamet walked the Actor Awards red carpet as fans chanted his name.
Video Team – USA TODAY Entertainment
Members of the ballet and opera community would like a word with Timothée Chalamet following comments he made about cultural relevance with the classical performing arts.
The “Dune” star and Matthew McConaughey recently participated in a CNN and Variety town hall, posted on Feb. 24, in which Chalamet discussed Hollywood norms and the expectation to champion the movie theater business.
“I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive, we’ve gotta keep this genre alive,’ 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,” he told McConaughey.
He then made the comment that later prompted backlash. “I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.’ All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.”
Upon realizing that his remarks could come off as a dig, he quipped, “I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Chalamet’s representatives for comment.
The Royal Ballet and Opera countered the actor’s take in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “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.”
Opera and ballet community condemns ‘narrow-minded’ views
In a Variety Instagram video sharing those remarks, opera singer Isabel Leonard wrote that she is shocked that Chalamet would express “so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art” while considering himself an artist.
“To take cheap shots at fellow artists says more in this interview than anything else he could say. Shows a lot about his character. You don’t have to like all art but only a weak person/artist feels the need to diminish in fact the VERY arts that would inspire those who are interested in slowing down, to do exactly that,” wrote Leonard, a three-time Grammy winner with a Carnegie Hall residency.
Berlin-based opera performer Dean Murphy combatted Chalamet’s claim about a lack of interest in opera writing. “Opera has been around since the 16th century and is STILL alive and well today,” he wrote. “I think that speaks volumes. What a shame that you don’t have respect for other art forms… which of course have also greatly influenced movies…”
Italian and Iranian opera and orchestral conductor Louis Lohraseb said the Golden Globe-winning actor clearly doesn’t grasp “the profound human connection that only live theater — opera and ballet — can offer.”
“While his comments and opinions are, at best, misguided and, at worst, disparaging, he revealed his true ignorance when, after claiming to be sorry for belittling fellow artists, he proceeded to mock what others devote entire lives to mastering,” he wrote.
A Brazilian ballet dancer, Victor Caixeta, also defended ballet and opera’s legacy that has “survived for centuries,” offering a dig toward the actor, writing, “Let’s see if your movies are still being watched in 300 years,” he added.
The backlash comes amid the 30-year-old’s ongoing awards season campaign. He is nominated in the Best Actor category at the upcoming Academy Awards on March 16 for his performance in “Marty Supreme.”
He was previously nominated at the 2018 Oscars for “Call Me by Your Name” and in 2025 for “A Complete Unknown.”