Timothee Chalamet-Opera row: Oscars 2026 adds last minute opera-ballet act amid actor's controversial remarks

Timothee Chalamet's latest film Marty Supreme, which was released in December 2025, gained widespread critical acclaim for his performance for playing the role of Marty Mauser, elevating him to to become the top contender for Oscars. However, his recent remarks made on opera-ballet has become the topic of discussion among the fans and in the industry as well, leading to him receiving backlash. Amid the controversy, the Oscars have added a last-minute opera-ballet act.

Did Oscars add a last-minute act after Timothée's comment?

As per the report of Cosmopolitan, the Academy Award has finalised Misty Copeland's appearance at the event. This report comes right after the discussion of the importance of ballet and opera acts in today's world. This reported development has definitely raised eyebrows and left people guessing after the actor's remark.

All about the controversy involving Timothee Chalamet?

During a Variety and CNN town hall event, which was held at the University of Texas at Austin, where Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey were discussing modern filmmaking and whether viewers can still enjoy slower storytelling.

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In the discussion, Chalamet stated that younger viewers still appreciate serious cinema, but while explaining the challenge to keep certain art forms relevant, he made a joke about ballet and opera.

"It does take you having to wave a flag of, ‘Hey, this is a serious movie’ or something, and some people do want to be entertained and quickly," Chalamet said. "I'm really right in the middle, Matthew. I admire people, and I've done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, 'Hey, we've got to keep movie theatres 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."

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He further added, "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,” he said with a laugh. "I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason."

How did celebrities react to Timothee's remarks?

After the clip went viral, celebrities too weighed in on their opinions about the controversial remarks made by the Hollywood actor. American opera singer Isabel Leonard criticised the comment, saying, “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art while considering himself an artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor.”

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Artist Franz Szony wrote, “Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man will never possess.” Speaks volumes about his taste level for him to say this… also, saying ‘no disrespect’ after saying something disrespectful actually translates to ‘I disrespect art I don’t understand’. "

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During a conversation at SXSW, Steven Speilberg took a dig at Timothee. He said, "At the end of a really good movie experience, we are all united with a whole bunch of feelings that we walk into the daylight with or into the nighttime with. And there’s nothing like that. It happens in movies and in concerts. And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.”