Video: Nathan Lane Slams 'Stupidity' of Timothée Chalamet’s Opera and Ballet Comments
Lane is currently playing Willy Loman in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman.
Like many in the entertainment industry, Nathan Lane isn't thrilled with Timothée Chalamet's controversial comments about opera and ballet, who said "no one cares about" the mediums during a conversation with Matthew McConaughey.
While on The View in promotion of the new Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, the Tony Award winner didn't hold back his thoughts, calling the Marty Supreme star "a schmuck" before explaining why he believes Chalamet's comments are reflective of the priorities of the culture at large.
“One doesn’t want to give this more attention than it deserves," Lane began. "And yet, it was kind of kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity and yet strangely telling about where we are in this country.”
He continued: “First of all, one should remember people will be going to see Swan Lake and La Traviata long after someone at a dinner party says, ‘Who was Timothée Chalamet?'... and the bigger question is, why was there a town hall meeting with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet? I mean, who deemed this meeting of the minds necessary? Why isn’t there a town hall meeting with Democrats discussing how to get this lunatic out of the White House?”
Lane explained his realization that the conversation was in promotion for Marty Supreme, where Chalamet plays the titular pink-pong player. "I realized, ‘Oh, he’s still promoting that endless ping-pong movie.’ And, you know, I got news for Timmy: If you think nobody cares about opera and ballet, I can’t tell you how much we don’t care about ping-pong.” He wrapped up the discussion by noting that the backlash may have been a result of "terribly unfunny people trying to be funny."
During his visit, Lane spoke about the genesis of his involvement in the revival of Death of a Salesman, which was sparked more than 30 years ago by director Joe Mantello while in rehearsals for Love! Valour! Compassion!
"During a rehearsal, for some reason out of the blue, he just touched my arm and said, 'Someday, we're going to do Death of a Salesman," Lane recalled. "I was probably in an apron and high heels at the time, so I wasn't thinking ahead to Willy Loman," he admitted, noting that finally putting it on "has been a glorious thing."
Lane went on to praise the director and his co-stars, also noting the relevance of the play and Mantello's "non-traditional" and "abstract and psychological" approach to the material. Watch the full conversation with Lane now.
Lane's response to Chalamet's comments follows the recent backlash he has received from his aforementioned conversation with Variety and CNN. The actor, who has been receiving accolades for his performance in Marty Supreme, was speaking about changing habits in moviegoing and attention spans when he shared his thoughts about the longevity of other art forms.
"I don't want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it's like 'Hey, keep this thing alive,' even though no one cares about this anymore," Chalamet said, before quickly adding, "All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason."
Chalamet's comments sparked a response from those within the opera and ballet communities, who have largely expressed disappointment and frustration with the comments. Among those who addressed the comments include Metropolitan Opera, the Seattle Opera, the Royal Ballet and Opera, opera singers Andrea Bocelli, Isabel Leonard, and Deepa Johnny, ballet dancer Victor Caixeta, and choreographer Martin Chaix, among others.
The new production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, starring Lane, began preview performances at the Winter Garden Theatre on Friday, March 6, with opening night set for Thursday, April 9. The limited engagement will play through Sunday, August 9.
The cast also includes two-time Tony Award winner Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott, Ben Ahlers, Jonathan Cake, K. Todd Freeman, John Drea, Tasha Lawrence, Jake Silbermann, Michael Benjmain Washington, Joaquin Consuelos, Jake Termine, Karl Green, and Jack Falahee. It also stars Katherine Romans (Miss Forsythe), Mary Neely (Letta), Aidan Cazeau, Charlie Niccolini, Alexis Bronkovic, Erik Kilpatrick, and Brendan Donaldson.
Death of a Salesman’s creative team includes direction by two-time Tony Award-winner Mantello, movement direction by Sasha Milavic Davies, original composition by Caroline Shaw, scenic design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by Rudy Mance, lighting design by Jack Knowles, and sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, and hair and wig design by Robert Pickens.
