Timothée Chalamet’s viral slip-up could cost him the Oscar

Timothée Chalamet has found himself in a bit of hot water in the run-up to the Oscars on Monday, 16 March. The actor, nominated for his role in Marty Supreme, sparked a wave of criticism after stating in a public conversation with Matthew McConaughey that he would not be interested in working on opera or ballet projects. ‘I don’t want to work on things that seem to say, “Hey, keep this alive, even though no one cares about it anymore,”’ he said during the conversation organised by Variety. Although Chalamet himself immediately acknowledged that he was perhaps criticising ‘without reason,’ his words had already sparked debate.

The statements quickly circulated on social media and prompted a swift response from cultural institutions around the world. Opera and ballet companies interpreted the comment as disparaging towards disciplines with centuries of history and a huge artistic community behind them. Among artists, technicians and fans, thousands of voices defended the cultural and creative value of these performing arts.

Some institutions responded with irony. The Metropolitan Opera in New York posted a video showing all the work that goes into a production — from costumes to set design — accompanied by the message: ‘This is for you, Timothée Chalamet.’ The Seattle Opera also joined in the humour and promoted its production of Carmen with a 14% discount using the code “Timothee”.

Other European opera houses also jumped on the bandwagon. The Paris Opera reminded social media that even ping-pong can appear in opera, while the Wiener Staatsoper joked that Carmen will probably still be remembered in 200 years, although it is not so clear whether the same will be true of Marty Supreme. What is clear is that, thanks to the controversy, opera and ballet are back in the headlines in the middle of the awards season.

Timothée Chalamet surprises in New York with a luxury watch for connoisseurs.