Recent comments by actor Timothee Chalamet about how he didn’t want movies to become like ballet and opera where “no one cares” about them anymore, has sparked not just a backlash but a number of think pieces about the actor’s Oscar chances.
A little while back, Chalamet did a live conversation as part of a CNN & Variety Town Hall Event with his “Interstellar” co-star Matthew McConaughey. The pair discussed the audience’s appetite for slower-paced films and “Dune” star then discussed the struggles of movies themselves, making a not-too-flattering comparison in the process:
“I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters 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.
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’ [laughs]. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there … I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason.”
The latter part of that statement in a clip spread like wildfire on social media the past few days, with everyone from opera singers to royal ballet halls responding on social media, calling it a reductive or disappointing take.
More interesting, though, is that it has led to a metric ton of editorials and think pieces about the actor’s unconventional awards campaign push. Up until recently, the actor was seen as the clear frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar for his work in “Marty Supreme”.
But just as Oscar voting began in the last few days of February, momentum has decidedly shifted in favour of “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan. Jordan’s win of Best Actor at the Actors Awards, especially coming right in the midst of the Oscars voting window, is seen as something of a turning point.
At the same time, Chalamet’s unconventional and aggressive campaign style has ruffled feathers according to THR, whereas Jordan’s more understated efforts and the overall broader support for “Sinners” over “Marty Supreme” has worked in Jordan’s favour just as voting took place (voting closed the other day).
Still, Chalamet famously won the Actor Award last year but lost the Oscar to Adrien Brody, so the opposite could happen this year: Chalamet could lose the Actor Award but win the Oscar. Certainly, the Best Actor category now has some serious competition going on. The Oscars themselves will be handed out this time next week.
