Timothée Chalamet may have lost the Oscar for “Marty Supreme” to Michael B. Jordan’s performance in “Sinners,” but there’s a bigger conversation looming over his head. If you’re one bit concerned with movie stars, then you probably already know.
“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,” Timothée Chalamet told Matthew McConaughey during a Variety & CNN Town Hall at the University of Texas. “All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.”
And, he kept going.
“I just lost 14 cents in viewership,” he continued. “I’m taking shots for no reason.”
Outrage sparked across social media. London’s Royal Ballet and Opera shared an Instagram post featuring its vibrant artists, both on and off stage, as well as a full-house audience view. Written in bold is the statement: “WE CARE ❤️.”
“Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance,” they wrote. “If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open.”
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Andrea Bocelli, an Italian tenor, told People Magazine that “distance” often stems towards what we have not fully encountered.
“I am convinced that a sensitive performer like Timothée, who understands the power of emotions, may one day discover that opera and dance draw from that same very source,” he says. “Should he ever be curious, I would be happy to welcome him as a guest at one of my concerts.”
Even Whoopi Goldberg took to an episode of The View to say, “Be careful, boy.”
Now, when you look at Timothée Chalamet’s statement on a surface level, it’s easy to think he meant it as an insult. He comes across as arrogant in the pursuit of greatness and, in the process, puts down two art forms that have torn at hearts long before the invention of film.
After all, a handful of people even know the name “Marty Supreme,” but millions know “Swan Lake,” “The Nutcracker,” and “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Still though — not to play devil’s advocate, but when you consider Timothée Chalamet’s statement beyond the surface level, there are many layers to unpack.
He isn’t necessarily right, but he isn’t entirely wrong either.
The layers behind Chalamet’s comment on ballet and opera
Going to a ballet, an opera, or even a musical — it’s more of a novelty, and less of your typical Friday night out. There’s a magic to seeing a performance live, a culmination of movement, song, set, and lights, but there’s also the hard truth behind why it is so: live performances are expensive. In fact, many see opera as an “elitist” art form, something reserved for the rich and famous.
And it’s more than just ticket prices. As the world grows digital, younger audiences have less and less exposure to slower, classical art forms such as ballet and opera. Audiences are ageing out, leaving behind a demographic less willing to invest money. Fewer performances take the stage nowadays, decreasing accessibility.
Inaccessibility doesn’t equate to true value. As Andrea Bocelli puts it: “Opera and ballet are art forms that have crossed centuries and continue to speak to the human heart, because they answer a deep need for beauty, truth, and emotion.”
While nobody might say it as crassly as Timothée Chalamet did, there have been few people to back him up. “I think people are maybe blowing it out of proportion,” says Adéla, a Slovak singer-songwriter and dancer. “He’s not wrong. It is kind of a dying art form. It’s sad…People should be going to ballet. Honestly, maybe this is good publicity.”
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When you look at Chalamet’s words with more nuance, you will find there is some truth in what he says. As the actor slowly loses his golden boy status, whether that’s due to his relationship with Kylie Jenner or the overexposure from his Oscars campaign, people have no desire to sink deeper into the words of a conceited speaker.
At the end of the day, it’s not like he said they sucked.
But there’s also the fact that Timothée Chalamet, a movie star with a platform, has the choice to uplift and promote other art forms — even if he chooses to speak the truth.
“Live theatre, opera, ballet could always use the support of artists with such reach,” opera singer Eugenia Forteza wrote. “Choosing to further continue the misconception that these art forms are dead is irresponsible, disrespectful, and ignorant.”
So, for those who are interested in tapping into these art forms, here are five institutes across the globe that lets you do that.
5 ballet and opera schools training the future of performance
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco is more than Silicon Valley’s tech moguls. At the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, students experience a mixture of artistic and entrepreneurial development to prepare for a lifetime of creative success. If you’re looking to flex your vocal strength, the Opera and Musical Theatre programme for undergraduates or the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies for postgraduates positions you in connection with industry professionals as you unveil the human spirit through song.
Vaganova Ballet Academy
Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia may be over 280 years-old, but its ability to produce outstanding dancers remains as good as new. Developed by Russian ballerina and teacher Agrippina Vaganova, who transformed ballet training in the 20th century, the Vaganova Method combines Russian expressivity with French Romanticism and Italian strength and athleticism.
Rice University Shepherd School of Music
Located in Houston, Texas, home to artists like Beyonce, Solange, Kenny Rogers, and Arcade Fire, the Rice University Shepherd School of Music is ranked #10 on the 2026 Niche Best Colleges for Music in America list. The Opera Studies programme is kept small and intimate, enrolling less than 40 singers per year, which allows each student to receive one-on-one coaching from internationally renowned opera and voice faculty.
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Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba
Head to Havana, Cuba, and you’ll discover the home of the biggest ballet school in the world: Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba or the Cuban National Ballet School. Hosting over 3,000 students, the school was founded by Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, who’d long been hailed as one of the greats in classical ballet. Training melds a uniquely Cuban style with European, American, and Afro-Cuban influences.
Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA), or the Amsterdam University of the Arts, trains students across a wide spectrum of genres, from classical and jazz to latin and popular music. In partnership with the Royal Conservatory The Hague, CvA is host to the Dutch National Opera Academy (DNOA), which offers a two-year master’s programme training aspiring artists to perform at leading opera houses like Opéra national de Paris and the Dutch National Opera. Language of instruction takes place in Dutch and English.
The fact that there are so many renowned opera and dance schools across the globe is a testament to the lasting power of these art forms. Regardless of what Timothée Chalamet chooses, it remains that there are those happy to work within these fields.
