Jamie Lee Curtis has added her voice to the chorus criticising Timothée Chalamet after the Oscar nominee made dismissive comments about ballet and opera. In a video conversation with Matthew McConaughey recorded on 24 February, Chalamet said he did not want to work in those art forms because 'no one cares about this any more'.
The actor quickly tried to backtrack, saying 'all respect to all the ballet and opera people out there', but the damage was done. Dancer Zach McNally posted an Instagram video asking why artists would attack other art forms at a time when AI threatens all art. Curtis reshared the video and later posted clips from opera and ballet companies.
Chalamet's comments have drawn criticism from figures including Misty Copeland, Sam Taylor-Johnson, and Holland Taylor. The Seattle Opera turned the controversy into a promotion, offering a 14% discount with the code TIMOTHEE. The principal of Chalamet's former school, LaGuardia High, wrote an open letter saying 'we know you know better'.
Chalamet's remarks are notable given his family's deep roots in ballet: his mother was a ballet teacher for 25 years, his grandmother a dancer, and he grew up backstage at the New York City Ballet. He previously expressed similar fears that cinema might become like opera or ballet—a dying art form.
