Timothée Chalamet has triggered some very strong reactions from the worlds of dance and opera this week—and those who are critical of food excess and waste aren’t happy with him, either. Just days after voting for the 2026 Oscars concluded, two brow-raising stories about the eponymous star of controversial, nine-time-nominated Marty Supreme threatened to sour public perception of the thespian, who some see as the best actor frontrunner at the Academy Awards.
At a Variety/CNN town hall event last February, Timothée Chalamet told Matthew McConaughey that he appreciated people who worked to keep the theatrical experience of moviegoing viable. “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,'” he 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,’” he says with a laugh. “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there … I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason.”
His words sparked an angry response from artists in those areas, including the Teatro alla Scala opera house in Milan, which quoted the star’s “no one cares” remark and said “Someone cares. And if you visit us, you might too.”
The Paris Opera House also responded via social media, sharing video of Chalamet’s words before showing a scene from Nixon in China in which a ping pong table appears. “Plot twist: table tennis also exists at the opera,” the caption reads.
Chalamet’s words are surprising, as mother and his sister studied at the School of American Ballet. In a recent interview, he noted both had performed with the New York City Ballet, and said “I grew up dreaming big at the backstage at the Koch Theater in New York, a reference to the theater for ballet and dance at New York City’s Lincoln Center.
Also confounding was a revelation from comedian Tom Davis, who worked with Chalamet on the 2023 film Wonka. Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast last month, Davis claimed that Chalamet’s private chef was required to prepare three different breakfasts for the star daily, of which Chalamet would eat only one.
“We were having quite ropey breakfasts. I got to know his personal chef quite a bit and I said, ”What are you cooking this morning?’” Davis recounted.
“I do three different things for Tim, and he’ll have one thing,” Davis said the chef responded. Chalamet, overhearing, then told Davis ”Hey man, why don’t you have the other two things?”
Chalamet has yet to address the breakfast rumors or the uproar over his ballet and opera remarks. But with the Oscars a week away, you can expect questions about both to come up on the red carpet next Sunday.
First published on Vanity Fair Italy