Timothee Chalamet has gone viral in an interview with Variety & CNN Townhall and has garnered much criticism from viewers.
In this interview, Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey discuss their experiences working on their most popular films. Chalamet stated, “And 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.”
Many people criticize this quote from Chalamet. They argue that these “dying arts” are still thriving and also essential to the diversity of the arts, especially in this age where the emergence of AI is becoming more prominent than ever.
Many are upset and compare these traditional arts to the recent A24 movie Chalamet starred in. Others say that his words do hold value and some semblance of truth.
In this article, I’ll be unpacking some of the opinions made by journalist groups and the internet.
Family Ties to Ballet
Many have criticized Chalamet’s comment because of the condescending tone of his delivery, which suggests that these arts are unimportant. People believe that it’s hypocritical of him to talk of ballet this way when his family has ties to the ballet industry.
In fact, his mother, Nicole Flender, had previously danced with the New York City Ballet, as well as performed afterwards in various Broadway productions.
Not only this, but Chalamet himself has strong ties to the art of theater production and live stage acting. For instance, his first debut was in Prodigal Son, an off-Broadway play produced by the Manhattan Theater Club.
While Chalamet criticizes these older and more traditional arts, it can be seen as a bit ironic that these arts are what led to his parents’ success as well as his own.
The Importance of These Artforms
Arts like opera and ballet have such strong roots in tradition and discipline, and the population of younger audiences watching ballet performances have increased, which means that interest in this art is not yet dead.
Older arts that aren’t as popular anymore preserve the culture and time of when they were, as well as the talented minds of people who created and built upon it.
These arts are also never-changing and hold the weight of tradition within them, which give them such a unique feel as compared to the modern arts.
Not only this, but without the creation of these older art forms, the evolution of the art that we enjoy through technology and new interpretations could not have been possible.
It is important to respect the origins of these arts and recognize their importance to us today, even in the rise of new and more conventional arts that are popularized in current media.
Is He Valid?
While many people criticize the harshness of Chalamet’s words about opera and ballet, some argue that Timothy is kind of right.
While opera and ballet are still popular art forms, they are nowhere as mainstream to younger audiences as movies or other popular genres of music. Now that streaming services are the norm to watch films, it is no doubt that in-person attendance to theaters has decreased dramatically in recent years.
Though it is a bold statement to say that “nobody cares about this anymore” while there will always be people who care about traditional arts, it is important to see this quote from different perspectives.
Could this be a wake-up call that certain arts are losing their audiences? What can we do to promote these arts to the younger audiences?
What are your thoughts on this quote said by Timothee Chalamet? Are certain arts truly dying? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!