Art Students React to Hearing "No One Cares" About the Arts

By Tia Porter

In late February, actor Timothée Chalamet caused waves with a controversial comment on the current state of dance and opera. As a nominee for best actor for the 98th Academy Awards, Chalamet was hoping to score an Oscar by promoting “Marty Supreme,” a 2025 film in which he was both a producer and a leading actor. His attempt backfired when, during an interview, Chalamet expressed his desire to keep movie theaters alive; in contrast, he suggested that certain other art forms are dying.

Several of Chalamet’s family members, including his grandmother, mother and sister, have a background in ballet. Nonetheless, during his interview, he stated that he wouldn’t want to work in a field that “no one cares about,” like “opera and ballet.” In the weeks that followed, he received immense backlash from both communities.

“I believe it was very disrespectful, especially knowing that his mother was a ballet dancer,” said Joyce Suárez, a freshman voice and opera major with a double minor in viola performance and arts management. “I believe it is not a dying art form. Opera has been around for hundreds of years and is the basis of many theatrical art forms today. The reason I believe that some believe it is dying is because they don’t typically hear about it. Opera and ballet are considered ‘high arts,’ which are art forms that are believed to be typically enjoyed by upper-class people, which is not true in the slightest.”

Anya Harvey (center) dancing during a performance organized by Crescendo, a student-run group that puts on shows every semester. (Photo by Tia Porter)

On a college campus known for its art conservatories, many students were irritated by Chalamet’s comments, which were considered both insensitive and ignorant. As Suárez shared, it is easy for anyone without a background in the arts to overlook opera, especially when they don’t know that it has an overlap in other industries. Many people are exposed to opera, or at the very least to its influences, more often than they think.

“I believe that with Mr. Chalamet’s comments as well, it is causing an even bigger interest in the art form,” Suárez said. “On top of that, recent artists like Rosalía, Beyoncé and RAYE have been including opera segments in their songs recently, which caused a peak in interest for opera.”  

Suárez also explained that opera and ballet may be considered a more niche field because the cost for tickets is often higher than a regular movie ticket. As a result, opera has been overlooked by many people who dismiss these performances as too pricey and even insignificant.

“There are many ways to see operas and ballets for a more cost-effective price,” Suárez said, “and I believe that if more people sought it, many would understand how important opera is to society today, and how much it relates to our modern lives. So, with all that being said, opera is definitely not going anywhere, and I believe that it will remain a staple for years and years to come.”

Students who major in other fields found Chalamet’s comments rude as well.

“I feel that, though it may not be a popular area for the masses,” said Sean O’Carroll, a junior majoring in communications, “there is still strong support for those art forms, and it shouldn't be taken as a punch line. If the roles were reversed and someone said no one cares about actors or movies anymore, I don't think he’d be making that kind of joke.”

Another student agreed that what Chalamet said was in poor taste, insulting not only those who have built careers in opera and ballet, but also those who consume their work.  

“As someone who’s never been indulged in the arts,” said Ibrahim Jamal, a sophomore majoring in law and justice studies, “even I was able to understand how offensive what he said was.”

Jamal, who has many people in his life who engage with the arts, knows that these fields are far from dying. In fact, he has family members who are involved in ballet, dancing, painting and more. For them, there is always more to see, and support is vital to help people in these communities thrive.

“It is alive,” Jamal said. “There are people who do love it. It might be a niche to you, it might be something that you might not find popular or find generating a certain amount of revenue that you expect, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s alive. It deserves to be recognized.”

On March 15, the Oscar for best actor was given to Michael B. Jordan for his role in “Sinners,” leading many moviegoers online to praise the fact that the award was not given to Chalamet.

“He sounds like an idiot,” added Alex VanTassel, a sophomore majoring in studio composition and studio production, and minoring in classical composition.

Vantassel has performed at many shows on campus, producing her own music all while learning more about what it means to be an artist. During her time at Purchase, she has played live music for several theater performances as well. By insulting opera and ballet, she conveyed that Chalamet is looking down on everyone who makes those productions possible. There is a team behind every show, managing the music, the lights, the sound, everything that goes into enhancing the audience’s experience.  

For other students who have chosen to go to college with the goal of honing their artistic skills, the arts are a form of expression. Lucy Webb, a sophomore majoring in studio composition, writes her own songs and performs for the community whenever she can. As a talented musician, she spends most of her time in the Music building, surrounded by singers and musicians who aim to build a career around their skills.

“Ballet and opera are some of the most technically challenging and long-standing disciplines in art,” Webb said. “To call them ‘unimportant’ because of the revenue they generate is short-sighted and quite dumb.”

In the Dance building, members of the dance conservatory rehearse relentlessly, often from sunrise to sunset until they are satisfied with their work. Many plan to graduate from Purchase and move on to the next big stage in their lives, while others aim to receive job opportunities that will allow them to pursue a career in the field in which they excel. For these dancers, Chalamet’s comments were very poorly received.

“He’s a broccoli-haired ass piece of shit,” said Anya Harvey, a sophomore dance major, “and I’m glad that he didn’t get any awards, ‘cause he’s changed, so people’s attitude toward him should also change.”