Timothée Chalamet is now getting a lot of attention after saying that he didn’t want to work in ballet or opera because “no one cares about this anymore.”
The 30-year-old star made those controversial remarks during a chat with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas in February.
Chalamet joked that he “just lost 14 cents in viewership” but his words have sparked massive reaction all over the internet.
Major arts organizations spoke up as The Metropolitan Opera shared a video of all the work behind a performance while the Royal Ballet explained how ballet and opera inspire other art forms.
The English National Opera even offered free tickets and Seattle Opera made promo code with Chalamet’s name for their show Carmen.
Celebrities like Colin Jost and Laura Benanti also reacted, joking and criticising the Dune actor’s remarks that left many people deeply hurt.
Music icon Doja Cat also called him out on TikTok, pointing out how opera and ballet are hundreds of years old and still loved by audiences.
Timothée’s family got deep ties to ballet, with his mother and grandmother having experience in dance in the New York City Ballet, which made his comments even more controversial.
