Timothée Chalamet railed against ballet and opera years before viral comments

Chalamet’s initial controversial comment was made during a town hall event with Matthew McConaughey produced by Variety and CNN last month.

During the event, which aired on CNN on Feb. 21, Chalamet, 30, explained, “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,’ 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.”

However, he then noted he didn’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 … I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason,” Chalamet added.

His comments received swift backlash from many in the ballet and opera worlds. The Royal Ballet and Opera released a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, “Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation — they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms.”

However, the viral statement also triggered creative marketing, with several regional opera companies cheekily offering discounts to performances in the wake of his words.

The charge was led by the Seattle Opera, who posted,  “All we’ve got to say is… use promo code TIMOTHEE to save 14% off select seats for Carmen, through this weekend only. Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too 💃 See you at the opera!”

Chalamet has spoken about how his family members are dancers, notably even saying on camera that “My grandmother, my mother, my sister danced in the New York City Ballet. I grew up dreaming big at the backstage at the Koch Theater in New York.”

Chalamet is nominated for Best Actor for his role in “Marty Supreme” at the 98th Academy Awards, which take place March 15.

The sports drama is also up for the Best Picture award.