Despite his age, Timothée Chalamet has built a strong, stable career for himself. From his breakthrough role in Call Me By Your Name to his most recent blockbuster film, Marty Supreme, Chalamet has established himself as a household name. Additionally, he seemed to be held in a very high regard, not only by the general public but also by his peers in the film industry.
That was until a few weeks ago, when he joined fellow actor Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas to film a live CNN & Variety Town Hall Event. At one point during the conversation, McConaughey and Chalamet discuss the importance of preserving movie theaters and the overall cinematic experience. Chalamet then states that he doesn’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.” This was the moment that might have changed the entire trajectory of Chalamet’s career.
The weeks preceding this interview have been filled with backlash toward Chalamet. Notably, Misty Copeland, the first African American woman to join the American Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer, commented on the controversy. In a panel for Aveeno, a skincare brand she is sponsored by, Copeland said, “I think it’s often mistaken when something is more popular that it’s more meaningful or impactful.” Copeland also mentioned her involvement in promoting Marty Supreme, noting that it was interesting given her art form.
However, Misty Copeland was not the only person who had something to say about Chalamet’s comments; Ballet and Opera houses across the country have offered promo codes referencing Chalamet, with the New York City Ballet using code “CHALAMET” for 20% off tickets.
Another aspect of the controversy is that Chalamet’s family has deep roots within the ballet community. With both his mother and sister having trained at the School of American Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country. This has only increased the backlash toward Chalamet as it shows some sort of disrespect for his family, who have clearly supported his acting career.
Personally, I don’t necessarily disagree with Chalamet’s claims; the context in which he said it makes it highly problematic. As an artist, he should be respectful of all art forms, especially those that have existed far longer than his own.
The controversy also raises questions of Chalamet’s integrity in terms of how he has presented himself in the past. He started as a teen heartthrob, to a very specific audience, but still a heartthrob. He seemed deep and thoughtful in interviews and never, ever cocky. This was what drew people such as myself to his work; he seemed so genuine and kind-hearted. However, through the promotion of his most recent film, Marty Supreme, something clearly changed in how Chalamet was choosing to present himself. He stopped speaking French in interviews; there were no more inspirational quote-level responses.
He instead replaced these aspects of himself with shallow, conceited answers. At first, many fans believed that he was doing all of this as a bit for the film, but as more time passed, it became apparent that this persona was not going anywhere. This led many fans to ask themselves, was this who he was all along? Was it all an act just to gain more popularity?
With the context of his recent comments, signs seem to point to the answer that maybe he has been this way the entire time, maybe now he just feels more confident in his fame, that he doesn’t think he needs to pretend to be that heartthrob role anymore.
So, are we witnessing his downfall? Maybe. But the truth of the matter is that he will always have a platform; the only thing that is changing is how we look at the actor that we thought we knew.
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