Charlize Theron has rebuked Timothée Chalamet for his “reckless” opera and ballet comments, saying AI will soon be able to do his job.
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In March, the Marty Supreme and Dune star told Matthew McConaughey at an event at the University of Texas that he did not want cinema to end up like “ballet or opera” where “no one cares” about them anymore.
The remarks drew widespread criticism, not least from ballet dancers and opera singers themselves, with opera legend Andrea Bocelli saying “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”.
Now, Theron has also chastised Chalamet for his comments in an interview with the New York Times. “I hope I run into him one day,” she said. “I feel like 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 about 10 years, I think AI 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 shit on other art forms. How about we start with that?” she added.
She went on to explain that dance is “one of the most disciplined things” that she’s ever done, saying it taught her “discipline”, “structure” and “hard work”.
Others to criticise Chalamet were Whoopi Goldberg, who told him to “be careful, boy”, and Conan O’Brien, who made light of the controversy during his Oscars opening monologue. The head of the Royal Ballet and Opera, meanwhile, thanked him for helping to boost the London institution’s ticket sales.
Theron is set to star in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey this summer, playing the nymph Calypso, who detained Odysseus for seven years against his will. Early footage from the film, which is released on July 17, greatly impressed journalists at CinemaCon last week.
Chalamet, meanwhile, is returning in Dune: Part Three as Paul Atreides, which is released on December 18. Even from the teaser trailer, fans have already declared it the best film of 2026.
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