Josh Groban finds positive in Timothee Chalamet's ballet and opera criticism
Josh Groban was "irked" by Timothee Chalamet's comments about ballet and opera, but happy about the conversation that was sparked as a result.
Josh Groban is happy that Timothee Chalamet's disparaging comments about opera and ballet sparked an outpouring of support for the arts.
Last month, the Marty Supreme actor caused a stir when he claimed "no one cares" about opera and ballet any more, prompting a furious backlash and criticism from the likes of Misty Copeland, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Spielberg and Whoopi Goldberg.
And now Josh has admitted that he is "irked" by Timothee's comment but he found positive in the fact it "sparked a conversation" between people of all ages.
He told the Sunday Times newspaper: “I myself was at the time irked by the comment, and every one of my colleagues and friends of mine in the arts, and especially in the classical arts, was irked by the comment, because [Chalamet] has such a platform. But that’s where it started and ended for me.
“The fact that that comment sparked a conversation that galvanised people from every generation to say, ‘Now, wait a minute, this is important’, well, that gives me a huge amount of hope.
"Everybody said: ‘Now wait — we need [ballet and opera].’ To me, that’s exactly what dialogue should do. I’m happy that everybody has used a little bit of that heat to stoke a really positive fire from this.”
Timothee faced criticism after making the comments during a conversation with Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas.
The 30-year-old star said: "I admire people (saying), 'Hey, we gotta keep movie theatres alive. We 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.
"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' - all respect to the ballet and opera people out there."
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland was a noteable critic of his comments because she had even promoted Timothée's movie Marty Supreme on social media last year with a throwback picture of her doing ballet as a child.
Speaking at a panel for Aveeno, she said in a clip shared on TikTok: “First I have to say that it’s very interesting that he invited me to be a part of promoting Marty Supreme with respect to my art form.
“But I think that it’s important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that is not ‘popular’ and a part of pop culture as movies are. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have enduring relevance in culture.
“I think it’s often mistaken when something is popular that it’s meaningful or more impactful. There’s a reason that the opera and ballet have been around for over 400 years."
Misty also argued that the Wonka star wouldn't be where he is today without its impact.
She concluded: “I mean, he wouldn’t be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren’t for opera and ballet, and their relevance in that medium. All of these mediums have a space and we shouldn’t be comparing them.”
