Italian director Luca Guadagnino defended actor Timothée Chalamet on Wednesday, addressing the global backlash following Chalamet's recent remarks regarding ballet and opera.
Speaking to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Guadagnino expressed confusion over how a single comment transformed into a global scandal. "I am not on social media and I do not understand how a comment can become a planetary controversy," the filmmaker said.
Guadagnino, who directed Chalamet in the 2017 film "Call Me by Your Name," admitted the actor might have been better off staying silent. "Perhaps Timothée could have spared this," he noted.
A call for artistic unity
Despite the criticism, the director interpreted Chalamet's words as an expression of anxiety regarding the survival of film. He described the actor as a young, sensitive individual who fears cinema becoming a marginal art form.
"We must unite the arts, not separate them," Guadagnino said, arguing that all forms of imagination must be cultivated to keep the medium alive.
The backlash stems from a conversation Chalamet held with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas during a CNN and Variety event on February 24.
Discussing the importance of maintaining the theatrical cinema experience, Chalamet remarked that he did not want film to end up like ballet or opera, where the sentiment is to "keep this alive, even if 'nobody cares anymore.'"
Chalamet attempted to undercut the remark with a joke, adding, "I just lost 14 cents of audience... I shot for nothing."
The clip triggered a wave of responses from opera singers, dancers, and cultural organizations worldwide. In Chile, the Teatro Municipal de Santiago responded via Instagram, posting a video with the message: "We care... and you?"
