Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Is the best way to make a hater into a fan by giving them free things? Sometimes. Let’s see if it’ll work on Timothée Chalamet. The English National Opera invited Chalamet to come see a show via Instagram, after he said “no one cares” about opera or ballet anymore. “This is your official invitation,” the ENO wrote in a caption, alongside an image offering a free ticket. “Let’s see if we can change your mind.” The Royal Ballet and Opera also extended an invitation to Chalamet, writing, “If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open.” The Seattle Opera offered discounted tickets to anyone interested in checking out a show, including Chalamet. The Met Opera didn’t offer tickets; instead, it highlighted the whole team that puts the show together, including the behind-the-scenes crew and performers.
Chalamet recently said he didn’t want the art of watching movies in theaters to fight to stay in business, but his message might’ve gotten lost in the comparison that followed. “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,” he explained in an interview with Matthew McConaughey last month. “I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.” It’s a little ironic considering he’s promoting a movie about a man who’s passionate about a niche art form, but it looks like he’s felt this way for a long time. Since the original interview, opera singers, ballet dancers, and those who love them have called out the Marty Supreme Oscar nominee for his comments, wondering why an artist would speak negatively about the arts. As for how Chalamet has been handling all this, he hasn’t made time to check out a performance. He’s currently in Japan, appearing on game shows and slurping on ramen. Fingers crossed his next stop will be the New National Theatre in Tokyo.
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