Timothée Chalamet faces a wave of backlash after telling a CNN and Variety town hall that he does not want to work in ballet or opera and that "no one cares" about those arts, comments he later softens by expressing respect and admitting he "took shots for no reason."Opera houses and ballet companies issue emotional statements, post discounts coded "Timothee," and performers such as Megan Fairchild and public figures including Jamie Lee Curtis and Doja Cat criticize him while hosts on The View call the remarks shallow.Gia Kourlas of
The New York Times argues that
Timothée Chalamet is right to note that ballet and opera are not mainstream even as she and others stress their artistic importance and warn that streaming and film shape what reaches mass audiences.