Steven Spielberg has become the latest star to weigh in on Timothée Chalamet’s controversial comments about the cultural significance of ballet and opera.
The Jaws director was speaking about the importance of visiting movie theaters during a SXSW keynote conversation when he subtly shaded Chalamet’s recent claims that “no one cares” about ballet or opera in the modern world.
The Oscar-nominated Marty Supreme actor, 30, found himself in hot water this week after he said in a viral interview: “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.’”
Spielberg referenced Chalamet’s comments while speaking about the value of consuming communal entertainment, saying: “At the end of a really good movie experience, we are all united with a whole bunch of feelings that we walk into the daylight with, or into the nighttime with. And there’s nothing like that.”
“It happens in movies, and in concerts,” said Spielberg, per Variety. “And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.”
The director grinned as the audience broke out into laughter and applause, according to the publication. “And we want that to be sustained,” he continued. “We want that to go forever.”
Chalamet’s comments have drawn ire from figures across the arts, including rapper Doja Cat, actor Jamie Lee Curtis and renowned ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
The Wonka actor made his comments during a Variety/CNN interview with his Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey, in which the two actors discussed competing with audiences’ shorter attention spans.
“In this day of shorter attention spans, vertical 12-second spots, are we losing attention?” asked McConaughey, pointing out that studios appear to be cutting the first acts of their films to get to “the conflict” more quickly.
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Chalamet responded by pointing out that there is an appetite among young cinema goers for slower-paced films, citing Netflix’s Frankenstein as an example.
“It does take you having to wave a flag of, ‘Hey, this is a serious movie,’ or something, and some people do want to be entertained and quickly,” Chalamet argued.
“I’m really right in the middle, Matthew. I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive, we’ve gotta keep this genre alive,’ and another part of me feels like if people want to see it, like Barbie, like Oppenheimer, they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it.
He then said: “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.’”
Pre-empting a backlash, he added: “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”
Chalamet was a strong favorite to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday for his role in the high-octane table tennis drama Marty Supreme, but his odds have drifted in recent weeks.
After winning a Golden Globe in January, Chalamet lost the BAFTA to I Swear actor Robert Aramayo in February.
Sinners star Michael B. Jordan is now the strong favorite to take home the trophy after winning Best Actor at the 2026 Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards, earlier this month.
