Steven Spielberg has now weighed in on Timothee Chalamet’s controversial remarks about ballet and opera during a panel at the 2026 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 13.
The legendary filmmaker appeared to respond to the actor’s comments while discussing the importance of shared artistic experiences.
Chalamet had recently sparked backlash after saying during a February Variety Actors on Actors town hall that he would not want to work in art forms like ballet or opera that people try to “keep alive.”
Highlights
- Steven Spielberg weighed in on Timothee Chalamet’s ballet and opera remark, adding its as essential communal experiences that must be "sustained forever."
- Tony winner Nathan Lane didn't hold back, branding Chalamet a "schmuck".
- The Metropolitan Opera and Seattle Opera responded with viral TikToks and "TIMOTHEE" discount codes.
- The backlash comes at a critical time for Chalamet, who is a Best Actor frontrunner for Marty Supreme at 98th Academy Awards.
The remark quickly drew criticism from artists and celebrities, turning the moment into an ongoing debate across the entertainment world.
Steven Spielberg subtly responded to Timothee Chalamet’s ballet and opera remark
Image credits: Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Spielberg became the latest industry figure to react to Chalamet’s controversial remarks.
Speaking during an onstage conversation titled The Big Picture With Steven Spielberg, the three-time Oscar winner reflected on the importance of communal experiences in the arts.
“But for me, the real experience comes when we can influence a community to congregate in a strange, dark space where all of us are strangers,” Spielberg said while discussing movie theaters.
“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.”
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He then added a line that many in the audience interpreted as a clear reference to Chalamet’s earlier comments.
“And there’s nothing like that. It happens in movies and in concerts. And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.”
The audience responded with laughter and applause, as Spielberg smiled and concluded, “We want that to be sustained. We want that to go forever.”
Chalamet’s controversial comment also sparked backlash across the arts community
Image credits: Variety
The controversy began on February 24, 2026, during a Variety Actors on Actors town hall with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas at Austin.
While discussing the future of movie theaters, Chalamet said, “I admire people… doing a talk show about how we’ve got to keep movie theatres alive.”
But he then compared cinema to other art forms that rely on preservation campaigns.
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“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like: ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though no one cares about this anymore.”
Realizing the remark might land poorly, he quickly 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.”
The clip quickly circulated online, drawing criticism from performers, arts organizations, and celebrities.
Several artists publicly criticized Chalamet’s statement in the following weeks
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Oscar-nominated actor and Tony winner Nathan Lane called the comment “a schmuck remark” during an appearance on The View.
“One doesn't want to give this more attention than it deserves,” Lane said, “and yet it was kind of kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity.”
He also mocked Chalamet’s film, Marty Supreme, “If you think nobody cares about opera and ballet, I can't tell you how much we don't care about ping pong.”
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Opera star Isabel Leonard also criticized the actor. “Honestly, I'm shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art,” she said.
Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny echoed the sentiment, saying, “What a disappointing take. There is nothing more impressive than the magic of live theatre, ballet, and opera. The impact of these media is long-lasting and life-changing.”
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Even television personalities weighed in. On The View, host Whoopi Goldberg said dismissing other art forms was misguided.
“When you crap on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good,” she said.
However, not everyone in the arts community took the comments as harshly
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World-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli responded with a more diplomatic tone, telling People that Chalamet may simply need more exposure to those art forms.
“I am convinced that a sensitive performer like Timothee… may one day discover that opera and dance draw from that very same source,” Bocelli said.
“Should he ever be curious, I would be happy to welcome him as a guest at one of my concerts.”
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Singer Adela, who previously trained as a ballerina, also suggested the backlash might be overblown.
“I think people are maybe blowing it out of proportion,” she told TMZ at Los Angeles International Airport.
“He’s not wrong. It is kind of a dying art form… If anything, he just highlighted that.”
Beyond celebrities and artists, several performing arts organizations joined the conversation in creative ways.
The Metropolitan Opera posted a backstage video on TikTok captioned, “This one’s for you, @tchalamet.”
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Meanwhile, the Seattle Opera jokingly offered a discount code for tickets to Carmen, writing, “Timmy, you're welcome to use it too.”
At the same time, Chalamet’s former school also weighed in.
Deepak Marwah, principal of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where Chalamet studied performing arts, wrote in an Instagram statement:
“At LaGuardia, we do not rank art forms. Timothee, you come from this world. We know your heart, and we know you know better.”
Still, the conversation continued across social media, where reactions remained divided
One commenter wrote, “Did anyone look to Chalamet as a sage prior to this?”
“Chalamet is a brilliant and talented actor. That doesn’t mean he is immune to sometimes saying stupid things,” another added.
Others suggested the controversy may have unintentionally helped the very art forms he criticized.
“The irony is, ballet and opera sales have probably spiked since he said that,” one user joked. “Thank you, Tim Tim.”
The controversy comes at a sensitive moment for the actor.
The 30-year-old is nominated for Best Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards for his role in Marty Supreme, a sports drama centered on competitive ping-pong.
"When Spielberg talks, one listens," wrote one netizen
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