Andrea Bocelli has a suggestion for Timothée Chalamet as the Oscar nominee continues to be criticized for his recent remarks about ballet and opera.
The opera legend recently told People that the Marty Supreme actor should give opera music a listen to fully understand why “it continues to be loved all over the world.”
“I believe we often tend to keep our distance from what we have not yet truly encountered,” Bocelli said. “Opera and ballet are art forms that have crossed centuries and continue to speak to the human heart, because they answer a deep need for beauty, truth, and emotion. They are not arts of the past, but living languages that can still move us, make us reflect, and bring different generations together.”
He continued, “I am convinced that a sensitive performer like Timothée, who understands the power of emotions, may one day discover that opera and dance draw from that very same source. Should he ever be curious, I would be happy to welcome him as a guest at one of my concerts. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes of hearing this music live to understand why, after centuries, it continues to be loved all over the world.”
Chalamet found himself at the center of a firestorm recently when clips resurfaced from his live conversation with Matthew McConaughey during a Variety and CNN town hall last month. At one point, the Marty Supreme star was discussing whether audiences still have an interest in slower-paced films.
In his response, Chalamet admitted he would not want to be involved in an art form that “no one cares about,” mentioning ballet and opera as examples. The Oscar nominee said in part, “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.”
Bocelli joins a list of others in the opera and ballet space, including Misty Copeland, who have not held back in criticizing Chalamet for his commentary.
Nathan Lane also decided to chime in on the discourse during a recent appearance on The View, calling Chalamet’s comments “kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity.”
“First of all, one should remember people will be going to see Swan Lake and La Traviata long after someone at a dinner party says, ‘Who is Timothée Chalamet?’ It’s the show business circle of life,” the actor added. “The bigger question is, why was there a town hall meeting with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet? Who deemed this meeting of the minds here necessary? Why isn’t there a town hall meeting with Democrats discussing how to get this lunatic out of the White House?”
Lane continued, “I’ve got news for Timmy — if you think nobody cares about opera and ballet, I can’t tell you how much we don’t care about ping-pong! In his defense, he was doing it with Matthew McConaughey, so I’m thinking some weed was smoked and this may just be a tragic case of terribly unfunny people trying to be funny, which always ends in disaster.”
