Timothée Chalamet made the remarks during a conversation with actor Matthew McConaughey that explored whether shortened audience attention spans were influencing studio decisions regarding theatrical film content. According to multiple reports, Chalamet said he didn't want to work in ballet or opera where people try to keep things alive even though no-one cares about them anymore. The actor comes from a family of dancers, according to major media sources, and attended a performing arts school that Fame is based on, as reported by major media sources.
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel accused Timothée Chalamet of ignorance, saying at an event to unveil programming for his inaugural season as the New York Philharmonic's music director that such thinking stems from ignorance and needs to end. Dancer Misty Copeland, who helped promote Timothée Chalamet's film Marty Supreme, addressed his comments, noting that ballet and opera have enduring relevance in culture despite not being as popular as movies.
You come from a dance family, so when you crap on somebody else's art form, it doesn't feel good.
Celebrity reactions have also emerged. According to Evening Standard - Main, Whoopi Goldberg criticized Timothée Chalamet's comments. Rapper Doja Cat responded to Timothée Chalamet's comments on social media by noting the long history of opera and ballet.
Timothée Chalamet is nominated for the best actor Oscar for Marty Supreme, according to multiple reports. The controversy has sparked widespread discussion about the value of traditional performing arts in contemporary culture. It remains unknown whether he has issued an apology or further response to the backlash, and the specific impact on his career or public image is unclear. How the ballet and opera communities are formally responding beyond individual criticisms, the context of the '14 cents' remark, and whether other notable figures in the arts have commented are also not confirmed.
You probably didn't realise, until you said, 'Oh, I'm in trouble,' but then you compounded it and said, '14 cents.' No, when people get mad, it'll be a lot more than 14 cents, so be careful. I'm just saying. Be careful, boy. He is a boy to me. No disrespect.
Really, don't apologise when you've insulted. It doesn't sound right. You can't say, 'Oh, this is dumb, no disrespect.' That's absolute disrespect.
Opera is 400 years old, ballet is 500 years old.
Somebody named Tim-oh-tay Cha-lam-et had the nerve – big guy, by the way – had the nerve to say, on camera, that nobody cares about it.
Sadly sometimes it's a little bit of ignorance but, look, that is why we have to open more spaces for people to connect with classical music.
Everybody has the right to say, but you have to do things with knowledge, with facts. I think we have to say to the young generation, the opposite. It's very funny. Cinema is a result of opera, of music, of all of these kind of things.
That way of thinking has to end. Music is reborn all the time and it brings us the values of empathy through the beauty of what it is. So this is the reality of music. This is the real dimension of music and we need that more for our young people.
First, I have to say that it's very interesting that he invited me to be a part of promoting Marty Supreme with respect to my art form. I think that it's important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that's not 'popular' and a part of pop culture as movies are, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have enduring relevance in culture.
He wouldn't be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren't for opera and ballet and their relevance in that medium.
I admire people, and I've done it myself, doing a talk show about, how we've got to keep movie theatres alive, you know, we got to keep this genre alive. 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. 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 no-one cares about this any more. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there, I just lost 14 cents in viewership, I just took shots for no reason.