Spielberg Defends Ballet & Opera After Chalamet's "Dying" Remarks Spark Backlash

Speaking during a keynote conversation at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival, Spielberg reflected on the importance of movie theatres and shared experiences in the arts, while also making a subtle reference to the recent controversy surrounding Chalamet's remarks.

While acknowledging the growing role of streaming platforms and noting his own collaborations with Netflix, Spielberg stressed that the traditional theatre experience remains unique.

"But for me, the real experience comes when we can influence a community to congregate in a strange, dark space where all of us are strangers. 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," according to Variety.

His remark drew laughter and applause from the audience. Spielberg continued, "And we want that to be sustained. We want that to go forever."

The comments come amid backlash faced by Chalamet after he joked that ballet and opera are "dying" during a joint town hall conversation with actor Matthew McConaughey hosted by CNN and Variety.

"I admire people saying, 'Hey, we gotta keep movie theatres alive. We gotta keep this genre alive,'" Chalamet said during the discussion. "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. 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," according to Variety.

The actor added jokingly that he was "taking shots for no reason" and said the broadcast might lose "14 cents in viewership" for his remarks.

Chalamet's comments triggered criticism from several public figures. Television host Whoopi Goldberg described the remarks as "vapid and shallow" during a discussion on the television programme The View.

Ballerina Misty Copeland also criticised Chalamet, pointing out that he had previously collaborated with her in promotional campaigns for his upcoming film "Marty Supreme" before making the remarks about ballet.

Other personalities who reacted to the comments include actress Juliette Binoche and opera singer Andrea Bocelli. Singer Doja Cat initially criticised Chalamet but later retracted her comments, saying she had used the controversy to draw attention online, according to Variety.

At the same time, some commentators and cultural writers have defended Chalamet in opinion pieces published in outlets such as The New York Times and Vanity Fair. They argued that although his tone appeared dismissive, the actor was raising concerns about declining audiences and ticket sales for ballet and opera -- a challenge many believe Hollywood must avoid in the future.

- ANI