During a sit down with Matthew McConaughey, Timothée Chalamet stated that no one cares about ballet or opera anymore.

“I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this ‚anymore.’,” Chalamet said.

His comment offended a lot of people, especially those in the fine arts community. However, many others believe that Chalamet

On the other hand, many believe that Chalamet meant no harm and his opinion can not be negated.

The ‘Interstellar’ actors reunited for a Variety/CNN Town Hall event where they discussed a a great deal of things.

Before the ‘Marty Supreme’ actor made his controversial remarks towards ballet and opera, the conversation was centered on short attention spans regarding television and film.

“Are we losing attention and patience for act 1 because it’s the first thing that gets cut-”, stated McConaughey.

While giving his response, Chalamet stated that he stands in the middle of viewers wanting more or less conflict during screen content.

The central idea of Chalamet’s comment focused on keeping theaters alive in today’s current climate of film. Chalamet believes that keeping people engaged with the genre is just as important as the genre keeping its essence.

To further his point, Chalamet uses opera and ballet as an example of what he does not want to acting to be reduced to. Nevertheless, Chalamet instantly regrets his comments.

“Damn, I just took shots for no reason.”, said Chalamet.

Once the viral clip hit social media, the internet has since been divided on whether Chalamet said the harsh truth or just being an arrogant narcissist.

Rapper and performer Doja Cat did not take Chalamet’s comments lightly and gives her two cents via Tiktok.

“A lot of industries have a tough time…doesn’t mean people don’t care about it.”, stated Doja Cat.

Hosts of “The View” also weighed in on the topic. Sunny Hostin stated, “I’m offended and disappointed. I didn’t realize he was that vapid and that shallow.” Whoopi Goldberg added, “You come from a dance family, so when you crap on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good.”

On the contrary, musician and professional ballerina ADÉLA stated that Chalamet was right about his opinion on the dying art form.

“He’s not wrong. [Ballet] is kinda a dying art form. It’s sad. If anything, he’s just highlighted that. People should be going to the ballet more. Maybe this is publicity.”

Like ADÉLA, others believe that Chalamet’s backlash is only performative considering that ballet and opera has been struggling due to low attendance.

Whether one thinks Chalamet disrespected these fine arts, statistics show that ballet and opera do not generate as much revenue or attendance as theaters. However, ballet and opera are still culturally significant art forms that have stood the test of time.

Hopefully in the future, Chalamet is more mindful of his influence while others actually support fine arts without the need for controversy.