Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet, who is considered to be the frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Marty Supreme, is now facing heat for his recent comments. The actor was in conversation with Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas, where he shared that no one cares about ballet or opera. After his comments went viral, many on social media called him out for his disrespectful take on highly respected art forms.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)
What Timothée said
During the chat, Timothée said, “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. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”
Many slammed the actor for his disrespectful remarks on social media. One said, “How to obliterate your Oscar chances in 5….4..3..2..1…” A second user wrote, “He’s throwing a fit because he’s lost everything he’s been nominated for this season.” A comment read, “I try to like him, but dude’s making it difficult.” “How can an actor?? An artist say something like that??? If you can’t do it it’s okay but the art doesn’t have to die just because you don’t want or can’t do it like bruh,” said a user.
Not just users; even actor Jamie Lee Curtis responded to the comments and reposted a reel critical of Timothee’s stance. London’s Royal Ballet and Opera took to Instagram and invited the actor to join in for a performance. An invitation was also sent by The English National Opera.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Opera took a dig at the actor and went ahead to offer 14% off tickets for its production of Carmen if the promo code ‘Timothée’ is used. Colombian ballet dancer Fernando Montaño wrote a formal letter, where he stated, “Comparison rarely allows true understanding; instead, it limits growth and prevents people from developing their own talents and perspectives.”
Timothée has not responded to the backlash yet. The actor is a nominee for Best Actor at the Oscars. Even though he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor-Drama, he lost the BAFTA, Actor Awards. Wagner Moura, Michael B Jordan, Ethan Hawke and Leonardo DiCaprio are the other nominess in the category.
