LOS ANGELES: Television personality and entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary voiced support for actor Timothee Chalamet at the Academy Awards 2026, defending him against criticism over his recent remarks about opera and ballet, according to People.
O'Leary, who stars alongside Chalamet in the Oscar-nominated film 'Marty Supreme', described the actor as a "really great guy" while speaking to Variety at the event.
"He's a really great guy. His mother's really nice," O'Leary said, adding that Chalamet had received unfair criticism. "That kid is a great kid. He took a bum rap on that. By the way, he gave a lot of promo to opera houses and ballet.""
The comments came after Chalamet faced backlash for remarks he made during a February 24 media appearance with his Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey while discussing efforts to keep movie theatres relevant. During the conversation, Chalamet said "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.' All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there," he said during the talk. The actor appeared to recognize that his comments could be seen as disparaging and immediately added, "I just lost 14 cents in viewership, I just took shots for no reason," according to People.
Several prominent figures from the performing arts community responded critically, including tenor Andrea Bocelli and ballerina Misty Copeland. Actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Sheryl Lee Ralph also voiced their disapproval.
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg appeared to reference the controversy during a panel at the SXSW Conference and Festival on March 13, noting that magical moments happen in ballet and opera just as they do in movie theatres.
Chalamet received two nominations at the Oscars this year for 'Marty Supreme'--one for Best Actor and another as a producer for Best Picture--bringing his career total to four Academy Award nominations, according to People.