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Timothée Chalamet was also bashed during the Oscars for his comments on ballet and opera.
Royal Ballet head thanks Chalamet for boosting ticket sales.
Weeks after Timothée Chalamet was brutally trolled and slammed for his comments on ballet and opera, Alex Beard, the head of the Royal Ballet and Opera, has now thanked the Dune actor. In a recent interview, Beard claimed that Chalamet’s statement helped them by increasing ticket sales and added that ever since the controversy, they have been receiving a “fantastic” reaction from the public.
“I thought it important that we didn’t issue a kind of hoity-toity response to Chalamet,” Beard told The Times and then added, “We simply said ‘Take a look at what we’re doing, mate’ – for instance, the fact that the largest portion of our audience by age is 20 to 30-year-olds. And you know what? Our post got two-and-a-half million engagements and half a million shares, just on Instagram. And our ticket sales got an immediate boost. So cheers, Timmy!”
What Did Timothée Chalamet Say?
The controversy began after Chalamet made remarks during a discussion with actor Matthew McConaughey at a Variety and CNN town hall while promoting his film Marty Supreme. While speaking about the future of cinema and his desire to work in films that attract large audiences, the 30-year-old actor said he had no interest in working in certain traditional art forms.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera… things where it’s like, ‘hey, keep this thing alive’, even though no one cares about this anymore,” Chalamet said. However, he quickly attempted to soften the remark by adding, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there.” The actor also joked about the fallout, saying he had probably “lost 14 cents in viewership” after the comment.
Timothée Chalamet’s comments sparked widespread criticism on social media. Several Hollywood celebrities also slammed the actor and condemned his statements. Chalamet was also bashed during the Oscars.
April 15, 2026, 18:12 IST
