The head of the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has thanked actor Timothée Chalamet for inadvertently boosting ticket sales and engagement after his recent criticism of ballet and opera. Alex Beard, the organisation's chief executive, described the public reaction to Chalamet's remarks as “just fantastic” and said he was pleased the RBO had not issued a strong rebuke.
While promoting his Oscar-tipped film Marty Supreme in March, Chalamet said he was relieved to work in cinema rather than opera or ballet, adding: “Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this any more.” He immediately expressed respect for ballet and opera professionals, but his comments prompted criticism from figures including Jamie Lee Curtis and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as from several arts institutions.
Speaking to the Times, Beard said the RBO had chosen a light-touch response. “We simply said, ‘Take a look at what we're doing, mate’ – for instance, the fact that the largest portion of our audience by age is 20 to 30-year-olds.” He added that the organisation's Instagram post generated two and a half million engagements and half a million shares, and gave ticket sales an immediate boost. “So cheers, Timmy!”
Other companies also capitalised on the attention. The Seattle Opera offered a discount on tickets for its production of Carmen using the code “TIMOTHEE”. Meanwhile, Chalamet's frequent collaborator, director Luca Guadagnino, defended the actor while promoting his own opera staging in Italy. Guadagnino said the backlash had been disproportionate, telling La Stampa: “He's young, smart, sensitive and he fears that cinema could become marginal. We must unite the arts, not separate them.”
