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Charlize Theron is calling out Timothée Chalamet.
The Oscar-winning actress, 50, took aim at Chalamet over comments he made about ballet and opera — calling his remarks “reckless” and defending the art forms.
“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,” she said during a New York Times interview.
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Charlize Theron takes aim at Timothée Chalamet for his comments on ballet and opera, drawing on her dance background to defend the art forms. (Kayla Oaddams/WireImage; Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
Theron, who trained in dance before turning to acting, made it clear she sees the issue as bigger than one comment, as she turned the moment into a warning about how quickly the industry is changing.
“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.”
Drawing from her own background in dance, Theron underscored what she sees as a brutal, often overlooked discipline.
Timothée Chalamet faces backlash from Charlize Theron and major arts institutions after suggesting ballet and opera are losing cultural relevance. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)
“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.”
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She concluded, “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.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Theron and Chalamet for comment.
Charlize Theron calls Timothée Chalamet’s comments about ballet and opera “reckless,” warning that A.I. will replace actors before it replaces live dancers on stage. (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
The backlash stems from Chalamet’s February appearance at a CNN and Variety town hall, where the 30-year-old actor suggested traditional art forms were losing cultural relevance.
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“I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore,’” Chalamet said at the time, later adding, “All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there,” with a laugh.
Art institutions — including the Metropolitan Opera — fired back, spotlighting the massive, behind-the-scenes effort that goes into every production and pointedly tagging the actor in response.
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The Met Opera and Royal Ballet both fired back at Chalamet after his February town hall remarks on the art forms. (Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
“All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there,” the Met Opera wrote in a video at the time, referencing Chalamet’s remarks.
The organization went on to directly call out the actor in the caption, writing, “This one’s for you, @tchalamet…”
The Royal Ballet and Opera uploaded a video montage on social media that began with an audio clip of Chalamet’s comments over scenes from performances and backstage. The video then cut to a packed audience as the wording “We care” appeared on the screen.
“Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera,” the organization wrote in the caption. “For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalemet, our doors are open.”
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
