A resurfaced clip is circulating showing Timothée Chalamet speaking out against ballet and opera, years before his recent viral statement that “nobody cares” about those behaviors.
The “Marty Supreme” star called both of them “a dying art form” in 2019, while promoting the film directed by David Michôd “The King,” with a TikTok video.
Talking about his debut as an actor, he said, “No, sorry for me, but you start working in movies, you start acting, you pursue your own thing.”
“I started to get the idea that maybe opera or ballet or something, it’s like a dying art or something,” Chalamet, 30, added.
Chalamet’s first controversial comments were made during a town hall event with Matthew McConaughey produced by Variety and CNN last month.
During the event, which was broadcast on CNN on Feb. 21, Chalamet, 30, explained, “I love people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movies alive, we’ve got to keep this genre alive,’ and another part of me feels like if people want to see ‘Barbipen,’ they’ll go see it and go out of their way to talk about it and be proud of it.”
However, he later commented that he “didn’t want to work in ballet or opera where it’s like, ‘Whoa!
“All due respect to the ballet and opera people out there … I just lost 14 cents in the audience. I’m taking pictures for no reason,” Chalamet added.
Her comments received swift backlash from many in the ballet and opera world. The Royal Ballet and Opera released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “Ballet and opera have never existed alone – they have always informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms.”
However, the viral statement also sparked creative advertising, with several regional opera companies offering discounts to performers because of his words.
The charge is being led by Seattle Opera, which wrote, “All we have to say is… use promo code TIMOTHEE to save 14% off select Carmen seats, this weekend only. Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too 💃 See you at the opera!”
Chalamet talked about how his family members can dance, especially saying on camera that “My grandmother, my mother, my sister danced in the New York City Ballet. I grew up dreaming of being backstage at the Koch Theater in New York.”
Chalamet was nominated for best actor for his role in “Marty Supreme” at the 98th Academy Awards, which will be held on March 15.
The sports drama will also be awarded the Best Picture award.
