The backlash from Timothée Chalamet’s comments about ballet and opera doesn’t seem to be abating any time soon, and now there’s a new backlash from someone who helped promote his previous work.
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland, who was featured in a promotion for “Marty Supreme,” is targeting the Oscar-nominated actor over comments he made at a “CNN and Variety Town Hall Event.” In it, he said he didn’t want theatrical films to end up like “ballets and operas,” where artists want to “keep this going” even though “no one cares” anymore.
“First of all, I have to say, it’s very interesting that he invited me to participate in promoting ‘Marty Supreme’ regarding my art form,” Copeland said during an Aveeno panel discussion. Copeland wore a Marty Supreme-branded jacket in a late 2025 Instagram post, while another post shared on the film’s official Instagram account showed Copeland as a child ballet dancer with the caption, “Dream big.”
“Certainly, I think it’s important to recognize that this is an art form that is not ‘popular’ and is as much a part of pop culture as movies are. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have lasting relevance in culture.”
In a video shared on social media, Copland also said, “There’s a reason opera and ballet have been around for over 400 years,” adding, “If it wasn’t for opera and ballet and their association in that medium,[Chalamet]wouldn’t have become an actor, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be a movie star. So there’s room in all of these mediums and there shouldn’t be any comparisons.”
Copland’s comments add to the growing criticism from the ballet and opera worlds since Chalamet’s comments began circulating.
Last week, London’s Royal Ballet and Opera House shared footage of their craftsmen and performers on Instagram, apparently in response to Chalamet. The post’s caption read: “Every night, thousands of people gather at the Royal Opera House for ballet and opera. For the music, for the storytelling, and for the pure magic of live performance. If you want to reconsider (Timothée Chalamet), our doors are open.”
In an even more ironic response, Seattle Opera began offering discounted tickets to its production of “Carmen” to people who used the promo code “Timothy.”
