Chalamet Statement Sparks Outrage in Students

The classical arts are gaining attention due to negative comments from A-list actor, Timothée Chalamet.

Shortly before the Oscars, Chalamet said in an interview “no one cares” about ballet and opera.

The moment went viral, and led to a mountain of backlash for Chalamet, who lost to Michael B. Jordan for the 2026 Best Actor.

His comment has led to widespread conversations and defence for both art forms on social media, with stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Charlie Puth and Doja Cat condemning the actor.

Ballet has been a prevalent art form for around 500 years, and opera for at least 400. Many students feel Chalamet was incorrectly disrespecting something he should be grateful for.

“Opera was the foundation for so many of our current art forms. Opera influenced theatre, in the way that the actors move about the stage and express themselves, it then filtered down to film,” said a first-year classical voice training student, Helena.

Helena has always had a passion for music and art, but it was not until the start of her course she discovered the beauty in opera she had been missing.

“Opera is just a beautiful form of expression and art. When I first got into opera I thought it was just a boring thing old people go to, but it’s really storytelling through a singer, and I think that makes it a lot more interesting.”

Despite what some assume, opera is still beloved and studied by many students, who, like Helena, took some offence to Chalamet’s comment.

“When Timothée does his acting in Dune, things that he’s doing that his professor taught him probably came rooted in opera.”

One of Chalamet’s main points was he does not want to be asked to keep ballet and opera alive if no one cares, but Helena believes this comment stems from an ignorant perspective. She says the opera scene is still alive and beloved.

“He’s definitely misinformed. People who aren’t in the scene just don’t really know what it looks like,” Helena said.

Another music student, Kahu, also believes people often overlook opera for not being ‘mainstream’.

Kahu is in his second year at Canterbury, recently performed for the NZ Opera Chorus and has just joined Toi Toi Opera.

“It’s really fun just being on stage. Most of the time when I’m on stage I’m singing, and I really enjoy it,” Kahu said.

Kahu did not take Chalamet’s comments too seriously, saying “I think he’s a bit misinformed, it’s not dying, evidently it’s still selling out. Every show I performed at for NZ Opera last year was sold out.”

Third-year student, and former ballet and contemporary dancer, Charlie*, explained despite a small loss of relevance, ballet also still has a strong community of passionate dancers.

For Charlie, ballet classes were not only a time to have fun, but they were training that often pushed him to his physical limits.

“I wish people understood how much variation it requires, with what your body can do there are huge strength requirements involved with the flexibility.”

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All three students agreed their respective arts are no longer at their peaks, with less publicity and funding than they once would have received.

Some of this stems from internal issues within ballet and opera refusing to evolve past the old ways.

Ballet teachers still have the same stereotypical high standards for young boys and girls, something it has faced criticism for in the past, with many dancers developing unhealthy diets and eventually eating disorders as a result.

Charlie was an eyewitness, and even victim to crude remarks. He once saw a girl auditioning for the Royal NZ Ballet put on a phenomenal performance, only to be told to come back once she had lost a certain amount of weight.

Ballet is also seeing changes in the way it is performed and practised, with the physical limits of dancers being constantly pushed.

“Ballet especially moved away from the traditional, classical approach, now there would be far fewer ballet companies that don’t infuse their own form of contemporary,” Charlie said.

Opera’s main issue, according to Helena and Kahu, was the lack of progression of the art, leading to an almost gatekept feeling that can be off-putting for people trying to break in.

“I think that they need to find a way to involve more people, it doesn’t just have to be old people in suits and really high prices.” Helena said

Kahu spoke of positive steps NZ Opera are taking towards modernising, such as cheaper community events that involve younger generations.

“I think they’re becoming aware of their aging audience, and I think that’s important,” he said.

Kahu countered the argument of opera being for old people by pointing out the high number of students studying it.

Timothée Chalamet’s comments have forced the ballet and opera communities to come together in defence but also bring to light on some unfortunate truth in his statement.

With positive steps being taken, students are excited to see what’s in store for the next generation of these arts they love.

*Name changed at the request of anonymity.