Timothée Chalamet gaffe sparks surprise ticket boom for Royal Ballet and Opera

Alex Beard, Royal Ballet and Opera chief, says Hollywood star’s remarks provided a boost to the organisation
Controversial remarks made by actor Timothée Chalamet regarding ballet and opera have unexpectedly led to an "immediate boost" in ticket sales for the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), its chief executive has revealed.

The Hollywood star faced a significant backlash after claiming that "no-one cares" about the art forms during a discussion about the future of cinema.

Alex Beard, RBO chief, expressed gratitude for the actor's comments, stating the reaction provided a substantial uplift for the institution.

Chalamet’s initial comments were made during a conversation with actor Matthew McConaughey for CNN and US outlet Variety .

He stated: "I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, doing a talk show about, how we’ve got to keep movie theatres alive, you know, we got to keep this genre alive.

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 or, you know, things where it’s like, ‘hey, keep this thing alive’, even though no-one cares about this any more.

All respect to the ballet and opera people out there, I just lost 14 cents in viewership, I just took shots for no reason."
Opera and ballet companies across both sides of the Atlantic swiftly responded to Chalamet’s remarks.

The Royal Ballet and Opera posted footage on Instagram showcasing its craftspeople and performers, accompanied by the message: "Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera.

For the music.

For the storytelling.

For the sheer magic of live performance.

If you’d like to reconsider, ( Timothee Chalamet ), our doors are open."
The English National Opera extended an invitation to Chalamet to attend a performance, while the Seattle Opera garnered attention by offering a 14 per cent discount on tickets for its production of Carmen, using the promotional code "Timothee".

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