Calista Kiloh
Timothée Chalamet recently said in an interview that he doesn’t want to be working in ballet or opera and that it’s kept alive even though no one cares about them anymore. For someone who has been immersed in the arts much of his life and now sits at the pinnacle of popular culture, his comments raised a broader question: Does the value of art lie in its popularity or in its ability to endure beyond mass appeal?
While forms of art like opera and ballet may not command mainstream audiences, their cultural value is defined by their longevity and craft rather than accessibility. Chalamet’s remarks tap into a tension between popular taste and cultural prestige – is one more important than the other when it comes to art, and who, if anyone, can be the judge of that?
In a recent conversation with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas, three-time Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet brought up opera and ballet as dying forms of art. Amidst laughter, he said: “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it’s like: Hey, keep this thing alive”, possibly already imagining the backlash, he quickly adds: “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there”.
An incessant slew of internet criticism followed the actor’s comments, alongside statements from opera houses and ballet companies voicing their disappointment. Whilst the actor’s glib remarks were understandably met with uproar, there is no denying the truth of Chalamet’s real sentiment.
Whilst the opera and ballet may not command mainstream audiences, their cultural value is defined by their longevity and craft rather than accessibility.
Whilst the opera and ballet may not command mainstream audiences, their cultural value is defined by their longevity and craft rather than accessibility. Chalamet’s remarks tap into a tension between popular taste and cultural prestige – is one more important than the other when it comes to art, and who, if anyone, can be the judge of that? Many have brought up the fact that Chalamet himself comes from a line of female ballet dancers: his grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with New York City Ballet. As someone who has been immersed in the arts much of his life and now sits at the pinnacle of popular culture, his comments raised a broader question: Does the value of art lie in its popularity or in its ability to endure beyond mass appeal?
It doesn’t help that many attempts to criticise Chalamet end up doing more to prove his point. Those who took to platforms such as X and TikTok to post stills of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman, ignore the fact that, whilst both movies involve ballet and opera, there are in fact both films. In a similar vein, fans of the Amazon series Étoile voiced their anger, despite the fact again, they are fans of a show about ballet, not ballet itself. Not to mention the series’ cancellation after one season. The fine art companies that got involved in the hate train against Chalamet saw an increase in traction and followers, proving that the movie star’s comments have direct power in bringing attention back to these somewhat forgotten art forms.
There is no doubting Chalamet’s unabating passion for cinema and his continuous effort in keeping cinema alive.
The past year has seen Chalamet on a generational run of viral movie marketing with a clear focus on getting audiences back in seats. Following the immediate success of Dune Part 2, we saw Timothée on red carpets in cosplay as Bob Dylan for A Complete Unknown and, most recently, taking part in global merchandise pop-ups for Marty Supreme. Not to mention the entirely unexpected collab with British Rapper EsDeeKid. In a recent interview with Chalamet’s creative director, Aidan Zamiri, Charli XCX said, “It feels like an album rollout… what you and Timothée [have done] really punctuates the landscape, and it feels like something different and cool and pop.” Since the start of his film career, Chalamet has largely starred in indie films and, despite his colossal rise to fame, has continued to do so. In 2022, Chalamet went even further in his support for independent cinema, taking up his first role as producer in Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All and continuing to do so for multiple subsequent films. There is no doubting Chalamet’s unabating passion for cinema and his continuous effort in keeping cinema alive.
Rather than viewing Chalamet’s comments as a baseless and ignorant insult from Hollywood’s golden boy, perhaps it would be more useful to see them as feedback from a young person – the exact demographic opera and ballet need to win over if they wish to stay alive.
In an age of quickly diminishing attention spans, it is no coincidence that viral movie marketing strategies are so enticing to today’s audience. Chalamet is so clearly tapped into this culture of what is new, fresh and captivating. However, with that being said, there is an argument to be made that this is only reflective of a fast-paced and vapid culture that picks up and drops trends as if they’d never happened. Whilst the ballet and the opera clearly have stood the test of time in terms of cultural impact, are they still forms that are culturally relevant? Rather than viewing Chalamet’s comments as a baseless and ignorant insult from Hollywood’s golden boy, perhaps it would be more useful to see them as feedback from a young person – the exact demographic opera and ballet need to win over if they wish to stay alive.
Calista Kiloh
Featured image courtesy of Kenny Filiaert via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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