“It’s kind of like a dying form": Timothee Chalamet reportedly criticized opera and ballet before recent viral comment

As per a recent article by US Weekly, actor Timothee Chalamet is facing criticism for calling ballet and opera dying art forms during a recent interview.

Moreover, an old video of the Dune actor has resurfaced on social media from 2019, where he is seen referring to ballet and opera as

'dying artforms or something.'

At a promotional screening for his 2019 film The King, Timothee expressed his thoughts on ballet and opera. The four-time Oscar nominee mentioned the societal discourse surrounding his successful films. Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name served as evidence that movies were not going out of style.

“I was like, no woe is me thing, but whether you’re working on movies or acting, or pursuing your thing, I started to get the sense that [movies were], like, opera or ballet or something. It’s kind of like a dying artform or something,” says Chalamet in a TikTok video from 2019 after facing criticism for his comments on the artform during the interview.

Timothee's comments have created waves also because his mother, Nicole Flender, is a former Broadway dancer.

Timothy Chalamet's comments on the artforms

During an interview with Matthew McConaughey for Variety, Chalamet made this controversial remark on opera and ballet by naming them 'dying art forms' in February 2025.

"Some folks want fast entertainment. "The Marty Supreme actor acknowledged during the interview with Variety, "I'm actually right in the middle. Because I respect people and I've said, 'Hey, we have keep movie theaters alive,' on a talk show. We must preserve this genre."

"Another part of me feels like, if people want to see it, like Barbie or Oppenheimer, they're going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it," said Chalamet. "I don't want to work in ballet or opera, when people say things like, hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore."

After saying that, Timothee Chalamet realized his comments on ballet and opera might be controversial and quickly clarified that he respects the art forms.

"Damn, I just took shots for no reason,” exclaimed Timothee Chalamet.

Organisations, ballet dancers, opera performers, netizens, and celebrities shared their thoughts on Chalamet's comments and began posting on social media about their love for the art forms.

On Thursday, March 5, the Met Opera responded, quoting Chalamet,

"All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there." @tchalamet, this is for you.

In the Met Opera's comments section, Tony winner Laura Benanti joked:

"When the live arts are all that remain after AI takes control, he will be singing a different song. Oh, hold on. He's above singing a tune."

Opera has been around for 400 years. On Sunday, March 8, Doja Cat responded on TikTok,

"Ballet is 500 years old." "A big guy named Timothée Chalamet had the audacity to claim on camera that no one cares about it."

Trending

"I'm sure you can walk into an opera theater right now, seats will be filled out, and nobody's saying a word as the performance is going because everybody has so much respect for it," the rapper from continued. "Opera has its own set of etiquette. Ballet has its own set of rules. It's incredible. It's a fantastic theatrical medium. It's incredibly gorgeous."

Chalamet has not commented on the controversy yet.

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