Ballet and opera people "lash out" at Timothée Chalamet with open arms
- Ikuko
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Ballet and opera people have been responding to Timothée Chalamet's "no one cares" remark with humour, generosity and open arms.
My personal favorite has been Scottish Ballet’s Chief Executive Officer / Artistic Director Christopher Hampson. He walked onto the stage at a sold out performance of Mary, Queen of Scots at Sadler's Wells in London earlier in March 2026, spoke about the shared love of ballet and invited Chalamet to the company's New York tour in June.
The Marty Supreme actor Chalamet, the front runner for the Oscar, said in Variety and CNN Town Hall in late-February 2026;
"And I don't wanna 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 anymore'. All respects to the ballet and opera people out there."
Then he immediately apologised for taking "a shot" "for no reason," to which co-host Matthew McConaughey responded, "It's not a shot" and " I hear you what you are saying."
Bayerisches Staatsballett and Bayerische Staatsoper posted a reel on Instagram as a response to the remark. It featured the segment of the Chalmet-McConaughey talk, followed by a movie clip of the fully-packed opera house with a text saying, "Meanwhile, at the Bayerisches Staatsballett and the Bayerische Staatsoper - every night."
Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Dutch National Opera and Ballet and many other ballet and opera companies posted similar lively images and reels.
The Royal Ballet and Opera said their "doors are open" in its post.
Some apparently thought Chalmet was extending a helping hand to them. Golden State Ballet and Miami City Ballet created limited time offers with coupon code TIMOTHEE.
Others pointed out, including the Dance Magazine, that Chalamet, his mother and sister actually came from dance and ballet backgrounds.
New York City Ballet's Principal Megan Fairchild posted a message in a mature tone with a caption saying;
"We forgive you, @tchalamet. We know you love @nycballet — we’ve seen the hat. And your lovely sister watches our rehearsals.
Good luck in the Oscar race. Artists supporting artists matters. None of these paths are easy, and there’s no need to put ballet or opera down along the way. 😉"
Supports are outpouring from the film industry itself, with Steven Spielberg defending ballet and opera.
Maybe, great Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's words summarize the Timmy saga.
"Should he be ever curious, I would be happy to welcome him as a guest at one of my concerts. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes of hearing this music live to understand why, after centuries, it continues to be loved all over the world," he told the People magazine.