Timothée Chalamet faces backlash after resurfaced comments calling ballet and opera dying art forms as Misty Copeland responds.
The head of London's flagship ballet and opera house isn't dancing around Timothée Chalamet's controversial comments.
In fact, he's thanking the actor for saying "no one cares" about ballet or opera.
Alex Beard, the chief executive of the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), said in a new interview with The Times that the opera house saw an "immediate boost" in ticket sales after Chalamet's comments went viral.
"The public reaction was just fantastic," Beard told the outlet.
He also referenced RBO's March 6 Instagram post inviting Chalamet to attend a performance at the venue.
"I thought it important that we didn't issue a kind of hoity-toity response to Chalamet. We simply said 'Take a look at what we're doing, mate' -- for instance, the fact that the largest portion of our audience by age is 20 to 30-year-olds," Beard said.
He continued: "And you know what? Our post got two and a half million engagements and half a million shares, just on Instagram. And our ticket sales got an immediate boost. So cheers, Timmy!"
What did Timothée Chalamet say about ballet and opera?
The controversy dates back to a Feb. 24 CNN and Variety town hall featuring Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey.
During the event, Chalamet spoke about the business of Hollywood, especially when it comes to the pressure for movies to hit big at the box office.
"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," he began.
Chalamet continued: "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."
The comments sparked fervent backlash from industry stars, fans and other big names.
Deepak Marwah, the head of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, where Chalamet himself studied, said in an open letter to the actor: "We know your heart, and we know you know better."
Beloved ballerina Misty Copeland said that ballet and opera "have enduring relevance in culture."
"He wouldn't be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren't for opera and ballet and their relevance in that medium," Copeland said.
Contributing: Nicole Fallert and Anna Kaufman
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY.