Timothée Chalamet’s recent interview with Matthew McConaughey has circulated on social media, sparking public outrage for his comments about how “no one cares about” ballet and opera. And it’s the most I’ve heard discussed recenty—so, does he have a point?
Of course, there’s a delectable hypocrisy given that Chalamet became famous for indie movies, with a career facilitated by the arts school LaGuardia and a mother, grandmother and sister heavily involved in the New York City Ballet—a fact he advertised himself in the Marty Supreme press tour. It’s further ironic given how few people appear deeply invested in the—notably more masculinised—sport of ping pong the new movie is centred around. Some of the backlash is certainly correlated to the Mauser-like cockiness of his persona, though this sometimes verges on punishment for not filling the role of sensitive, artistic boy and instead embracing movie star status (and a certain Kardashian).
However, his dismissive undermining of other art forms is clearly in poor taste, digging at people who dedicate their lives to the arts without receiving his levels of compensation. It’s particularly thoughtless given current fears around the future of the arts due to AI, cuts to budgets and streaming services overtaking physical spaces. The fiscal nature of his comment on losing viewership has also been read as a millionaire tastelessly equating economic value to inherent value, despite the fact that these conversations around art remain somewhat inextricable from market forces.
It has to be acknowledged that he is not entirely wrong. As the average person doesn’t regularly attend the opera, opera simply isn’t comparable to a film’s role in mainstream culture. This has only been proved by the number of ballet and opera houses capitalising on the moment for publicity, emphasising the weight of a movie star’s words. There’s also a touch of condescension in the response which can be linked to a wider disdain for more accessible forms of popular culture, with critics patronisingly implying Chalamet simply lacks taste for the higher art forms.
I don’t believe Chalamet intended to imply people don’t care about art, but rather to address the tension between preservation and progress, and have a conversation about accessibility and engaging the youth. As dismissive as the generalisation was, it also seems unlikely that all those posting about and discussing it regularly attend the ballet or opera; the celebrity input is particularly hypocritical given a lack of legitimate investment. The immediacy of the response is also reflective of a wider culture of polarisation which often restricts, rather than encourages, important debate.
Ultimately, it’s undeniable that the backlash has been empowering given the consistent devaluing of the arts. Perhaps people have just been waiting for an opportunity to voice their frustration, and, given this response, I think it’s safe to say that people still care.
“Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan – 2024 (8 of 65) – 54213781554” by Raph_PH is licensed under CC BY 2.0.