The Timothee Chalamet lashings continue. It’s so funny. Last month, Chalamet did a bizarre CNN townhall where he and Matthew McConaughey pontificated about acting and art. At one point, Chalamet 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.’ All respect to the ballet and opera people out there…. I just lost 14 cents in viewership.” In the week before the Oscars, Chalamet was dragged to hell and back by ballet companies, opera communities, classical musicians and pretty much everyone else. Well, Charlize Theron decided to chime in. She was being interviewed by the NYT about her life, her family, her work and her past life as a would-be ballerina. That’s when Charlize unloaded on Timothee Chalamet.
NYT: What are the mental challenges of doing movies like [Apex]? Because it’s not just a physical game, it’s mental.
Theron: Dance is probably one of the hardest things I ever did. Dancers are superheroes. What they put their bodies through in complete silence.NYT: Sorry, Timothée Chalamet.
Theron: Oh, boy, I hope I run into him one day. That was a very reckless comment on an art form, two art forms, that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time. But in 10 years, A.I. is going to be able to do Timothée’s job, but it will not be able to replace a person on a stage dancing live. And we shouldn’t [expletive] on other art forms. Dance taught me discipline. It taught structure. It taught hard work. It taught me to be tough. It’s borderline abusive. There were several times that I had blood infections from blisters that just never healed. And you don’t get a day off. I’m literally talking about bleeding through your shoes. And that’s something that you have to practice every single day, the mind-set of just, you don’t give up, there’s no other option, you keep going.
Now that we’re a few weeks away from Timothee’s comments, it feels completely crazy that he actually said that in the first place. To completely disrespect and dismiss those two performative art forms, to say that no one cares about ballet or opera, and in essence suggesting that people who engage with ballet, dance or opera are wasting their time? Like, WTF was he thinking? Anyway, I would pay good money to watch Charlize body-slam Timmy. Make it into a movie!
BTW, Charlize’s NYT interview was really good and worth a read in its entirety. She spoke in great depth about the circumstances around her mother killing her father in South Africa when she (Charlize) was just a little girl. Her backstory really makes you understand why she is the way she is and the way she carries herself.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
-
- UNIVERSAL CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JUNE 28: South African-American actress and film producer Charlize Theron arrives at the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) Block Party 2025 held at the Universal Studios Backlot on June 28, 2025 in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1016288581, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Charlize Theron, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 15: Charlize Theron wearing Givenchy arrives at Apple TV+’s ‘Palm Royale’ Season 2 Official Emmy FYC (For Your Consideration) Event held at the Wolf Theatre at the Saban Media Center at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on January 15, 2026 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1066579547, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Charlize Theron, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- Timothée Chalamet arrives on the red carpet of the 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083326694, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: LCY/Avalon
-
- Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (98th Annual Academy Awards) Hosted By Mark Guiducci held at the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Blvd on March 15, 2026 in Museum Row, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1083404717, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (98th Annual Academy Awards) Hosted By Mark Guiducci held at the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Blvd on March 15, 2026 in Museum Row, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1083455244, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
That AI comment, while depressingly true, was such hilarious shade!
My heart broke when listening to her telling the story about her father being shot. The stuff that she and her Mom endured.
It makes sense she left Sean Penn, reportedly cold turkey. I hope her and her mom are living peaceful lives now.
You can actually watch the interview video and she is fearless in how she describes her early life and experiences. It really helps explain why she is so drawn to these very physical roles that require strength and stamina. And also why she dropped Sean Penn like a hot potato. She saw where that was going really quickly. Good for her.
I think Timmy is laying low under the orders of his PR probably but it would be good to actually hear what he meant in greater detail. I find it hard to believe someone with direct connection to ballet would just poo poo the art, maybe he saw his mother and grandmother live through it in a different light. Hope he does an interview one day.
He meant exactly what he said. He’s said the same thing several times over the years. This time it just got more attention, but he has said it before.
That’s wild – I didn’t realize that. I am not surprised though since he comes across as fairly self-important so I can imagine he feels that he chose the “correct” art form with a more legitimate future (which is also why Charlize’s AI comment is so hilarious and on point).
It is completely incomprehensible to me that he didn’t have a PR team capable of spinning it better though. They could have an least pretended that he meant that it must be so difficult to work so hard on an art form that is seemingly losing it’s popular audience and funding and how that is such a weight to carry for an entire artform; to feel that you must work twice as hard to preserve it, and he has seen it in his own family members, etc. How he likes performing for a crowd and the large scale audience feedback that his medium gets, so he can’t imagine having to fight for the eyeballs the way other forms likely do. He could have made it sound appreciative and respectful of the art forms in question while acknowledging that he said it in a joking way that could come across as disrespectful. Instead, he just laughed and quietly let the conversation roll, so I guess you are right that he must have just meant exactly what he said. Yikes.
Really, interesting. This is the first I read that he’d said it before… :O
Good for Charlize saying what she said because every single word is true. Honestly, I don’t think he saw *enough* pushback on his thoughtless comments, and he really showed people just how vapid & clueless he really is (which makes his pairing with KJ make so much sense). Now having said that, I do think he’s a great actor and I can’t wait for Dune III, but he does seem very immature and not too bright for a 30-year-old.
I want to inject Charlize’s confidence in my veins. I’ve been trying to be better with conflict, confrontation, and learning to stick up for myself. I admire her steely spined boldness in such a tough, male-dominated industry.
I’ve always liked Charlize. She absolutely does not do BS, and she seems like a real human behind the celebrity.
Remember when Charlize noped out of her relationship with Sean Penn and never looked back.
I love Charlize so much. I really respect what a chameleon she is. Much like Angelina Jolie, Charlize can star as a leading lady in a prestige film and then go film a balls-to-the-walls action blockbuster without missing a beat. She’s awesome!
All that to say: DRAAAAAG HIM!