Steven Spielbergis weighing in on theTimothée Chalametdiscourse.
TheE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialfilmmaker made a subtle jab at theCall Me By Your Nameactor during a broader conversation about the theatrical experience withThe Big Picture's Sean Fennessy atSXSWon Friday.
"Netflixis a great company to work with, but the real experience comes when we can influence a community to congregate in a strange, dark space," Spielberg said. "It happens in movies. It happens at concerts. And it happens in ballet and opera!"
TheLincolndirector's comments prompted cheers from the crowd, who undoubtedly recognized that last statement as a response to Chalamet's recent comments about the performing arts.
During a CNN/Varietytown hall conversation withMatthew McConaugheylast month, Chalamet discussed the possibility of theatrical filmgoing become a more niche form of entertainment that is constantly on the brink of collapse.
"I've done it myself — go on a talk show and go, 'Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. You know, we gotta keep this genre alive,'" he said. "And another part of me feels like, if people wanna see it, likeBarbie, likeOppenheimer, they're gonna go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it."
Chalamet continued, "And I don't wanna be working in ballet or opera, or, you know, things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive,' even though it's like, no one cares about this anymore."
Though theDunestar's comments seemed to primarily stem from concern about the mainstream appeal and financial longevity of moviegoing, skeptics saw Chalamet's remarks as a dig at the value and quality of the performing arts, prompting backlash from ballet and opera performers as well as appreciators of both disciplines.
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One such responder was legendary dancerMisty Copeland, who was part of theMarty Supremepromotional campaign that saw numerous celebrities wear specialty jackets with the film's title emblazoned on the front.
"First I have to say that it's very interesting that he invited me to be a part of promotingMarty Supremewith respect to my art form," Copelandsaid. "But I think that it's important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that's not 'popular' and a part of pop culture as movies are, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have enduring relevance in culture."
Others who have responded to Chalamet's comments include theMetropolitan Opera,Nathan Lane,Jeopardy,Bradley Whitford,Karla Sofia Gascón, andDoja Cat(who laterretracted her criticism).
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Elsewhere in the SXSW conversation, Spielbergrevealed that his next directorial project will be a Western. "It's gonna have horses," he promised. "There will be guns."
However, Spielberg noted that his Western will be pointedly distinct from earlier examples of the genre."There'll be no tropes, I can just tell you that," he said. "There are gonna be no stereotypes, no tropes."
Reporting by Tiffany Kelly and Selena Schorken.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly