Amalia ZeichnerinIf you heard Timothée Chalamet recently insulting basically anyone working in ballet or opera, and are as furious about it as me, here is a nice post with film recommendations:
"10 #Horror movies about ballet or opera to haunt Timothée Chalamet":
Btw, I love the reactions from ballets and opera houses, like this one by the Seattle Opera:
Have to say, I am having fun with reading all the posts on Tumblr roasting entitled Timothée Chalamet for his derogatory comment about ballet and opera.
He also seems to have an army of fans over there; I have read some arguments where people came to his defense.
But the way he phrased this was just so bad. Maybe he wanted to appear edgy and cool? He could have said something like, "I am not so much interested in ballet and opera", instead of devaluing these art forms completely as "dying".
This!
Franz Szony wrote: "Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man [Timothée Chalamet] will never possess. Speaks volumes about his taste level for him to say this … also, saying 'no disrespect' after saying something disrespectful actually translates to 'I disrespect art I don't understand'."
edits on Instagram: "In March 2026, Timothée Chalamet triggered backlash from the performing arts community by dismissing ballet and opera as "dying" art forms that audiences no longer care about. Speaking with Matthew McConaughey, he expressed a desire to avoid working on projects that require, "Hey, keep this thing alive".While discussing the struggle to keep certain art forms relevant at a University of Texas event, Chalamet stated, "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.The comments were heavily criticized by dancers, opera houses, and stage stars, who pointed out that these art forms are not dead and require immense skill, with some noting the irony of him criticizing the arts while having a background in a "dance family".Prominent institutions like the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, and Royal Ballet and Opera responded with social media posts defending their work.Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny described Chalamet's comments as a "disappointing take" while Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis asked in an Instagram Story: "Why are any artists taking shots at any other artists?"Johnny highlighted that artists should "come together across disciplines" to "uplift these forms of art".American artist Franz Szony wrote: "Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man will never possess.Speaks volumes about his taste level for him to say this… also, saying 'no disrespect' after saying something disrespectful actually translates to 'I disrespect art I don't understand'."The ballet community also spoke out, with choreographer Martin Chaix arguing that the art is "very much alive". . . . #instagram #humor #explore #life #fypシ゚viral"
153K likes, 2,248 comments - madsly0 on March 7, 2026: "In March 2026, Timothée Chalamet triggered backlash from the performing arts community by dismissing ballet and opera as "dying" art forms that audiences no longer care about. Speaking with Matthew McConaughey, he expressed a desire to avoid working on projects that require, "Hey, keep this thing alive".While discussing the struggle to keep certain art forms relevant at a University of Texas event, Chalamet stated, "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.The comments were heavily criticized by dancers, opera houses, and stage stars, who pointed out that these art forms are not dead and require immense skill, with some noting the irony of him criticizing the arts while having a background in a "dance family".Prominent institutions like the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, and Royal Ballet and Opera responded with social media posts defending their work.Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny described Chalamet's comments as a "disappointing take" while Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis asked in an Instagram Story: "Why are any artists taking shots at any other artists?"Johnny highlighted that artists should "come together across disciplines" to "uplift these forms of art".American artist Franz Szony wrote: "Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man will never possess.Speaks volumes about his taste level for him to say this… also, saying 'no disrespect' after saying something disrespectful actually translates to 'I disrespect art I don't understand'."The ballet community also spoke out, with choreographer Martin Chaix arguing that the art is "very much alive". . . . #instagram #humor #explore #life #fypシ゚viral".
I found this response
on Tumblr and it is so good:
LyricOpera: "Opera isn't dead, it just includes a lot of dying. We're very good actors. Easy mistake to make, Timothée Chalamet."
🤣
Camilla macht Worte@amalia12 Fun observation: My mother-in-law loves opera … but in the way that wealthy white octogenarians often do, re-watching the "canonical" works (Verdi, Mozart, maybe Puccini, but Richard Strauss's "Salome" is already pushing the envelope) over and over again, engaging with it in a sort of sentimental way.
I'm an opera school dropout, and I still love opera as an art form. I still love classical music. But I'm bored by museal, "apolitical" staging.
I'm an opera school dropout, and I still love opera as an art form. I still love classical music. But I'm bored by museal, "apolitical" staging.
@amalia12 Or rather, I find it stifling.
But of course, contemporary works and critical interpretations are uncomfortable for a conservative/reactionary/fascist concept of art.
@ckutzner
I've written a post about this whole matter on Tumblr, where I have also written about what ballet and opera mean to me personally.
In case you are interested in reading it,
