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“Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, Timothée Chalamet, our doors are open,” the institution wrote in a social media post.
Timothée Chalamet is facing a wave of criticism after suggesting that ballet and opera are art forms that “no one cares about.” The comments, made during a CNN & Variety Town Hall Event on February 21, have sparked a response from prominent arts organizations, highlighting the enduring popularity of these performing arts.
The Royal Opera House in London directly addressed Chalamet via Instagram on Friday, March 7, 2026, posting footage of its performers and craftspeople. “Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, Timothée Chalamet, our doors are open,” the post read. This response underscores the passionate following these art forms maintain, even in a landscape increasingly dominated by blockbuster cinema.
Chalamet made the remarks while discussing the current film industry trend of front-loading action sequences. He noted an appreciation for films that “are more patient and that pull you in,” citing Netflix’s 2025 film “Frankenstein” as an example. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” the actor said, adding with a laugh that he might have “just lost 14 cents in viewership.”
The English National Opera similarly extended an invitation to Chalamet to attend a performance via Instagram on Friday, further demonstrating the art form’s vibrant community. The controversy comes just over a week before the 2026 Academy Awards, where Chalamet is considered a frontrunner for Best Actor for his role in “Marty Supreme.” The incident has quickly become a talking point, raising questions about the perceived value of traditional arts in contemporary culture.
