What Chalamet's '14 cents in viewership' looks like in the culture capital
Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet has sparked controversy among the performing arts community and beyond, after saying “no one cares” about opera or ballet.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet last month were discussing efforts to preserve cinema at a Variety and CNN Town Hall event at the University of Texas.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey keep this thing alive’, even though it’s like no one cares about this anymore,” Chalamet said.
Chalamet quickly added: “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. Damn, I just took shots for no reason.”
There has been public backlash from artist communities following his comments, particularly given Chalamet’s family ties to the performing arts through ballet.
In an interview with journalist Margaret Gardiner, Chalamet said his grandmother, mother and sister were all trained in ballet and danced in the New York City Ballet.
Performing arts institutions have spoken out online, including the principal of LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, of which Chalamet is an alumnus.
Australia's widespread interest in opera and ballet was on show on March 14 at Federation Square, when Melburnians saw an exclusive fourth annual performance by BMW Opera for All.
The free performance had the square packed, with audience members ranging from families with young children to seniors of all cultural backgrounds.
The event opened with a Welcome to Country, sung by Shauntai Abdul-Rahman, followed by the Australian Girls Choir.
The opera performers included Julia Lea Goodwin, Emily Edmonds, Asher Reichman and Stephen Marsh, while the music was performed by Orchestra Victoria and conducted by Brian Castles-Orian AM.
Host Greta Bradman AM addressed Chalamet’s comments, referencing Opera Australia chief executive Alex Budd’s article in The Age in which he thanked Chalamet for the free marketing and invited him to Sydney Opera House.
“That is, of course, if there are any tickets left,” Budd wrote.
Opera Australia had great success between 2024 and 2025, with the Sydney Opera House alone having more than 1.4 million attendees for performing arts events and more than 1,800 performances in total.
Attendees of BMW Opera for All were enthralled by the performances.
One member of the crowd, Heidi Voss, described opera as a beautiful, inclusive art form.
“Opera is magic,” she said.
Voss, who has studied opera, said it can provide people with a home.
“It’s such an important thing … for the neurodivergent community … for the queer community … it allows you to explore all your emotions in a safe space,” she said.
Voss noted the importance of free opera performances for people to “get a glimpse into another world”.
Another attendee, Pamela Leigh, described the performances as inspiring and passionate.
Leigh said younger generations should give opera a chance to be “treated to a world-class experience”.
“The tickets are probably less expensive than a pop concert,” she said.
