April 18, 2026
The conversation on AI continues to burn its way through Hollywood in unexpected places. During an interview with Charlize Theron for the New York Times posted today, the Oscar-winning actress revealed her thoughts on AI in the middle of admonishing Timothée Chalamet about his viral comments on ballet being of less interest to some.
“Oh, boy, I hope I run into him one day,” said Theron. “That was a very reckless comment on an art form, two art forms, that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time. But in 10 years, AI is going to be able to do Timothée’s job, but it will not be able to replace a person on a stage dancing live. And we shouldn’t shit on other art forms.”
In case you’re not up to speed, back in February, during a CNN & Variety live town hall event with Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey, the Dune star said, “I don’t wanna be working in ballet or opera, you know, things where it’s like, ‘hey, keep this thing alive.’ Even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore.” Chalamet’s comments drew backlash not just from the ballet and opera communities, but from numerous film and television celebrities, and the rebuke of his stance even popped up during the recent Oscars broadcast.
As for Theron’s comment, it exposes that the veteran actress suspects that her profession may have a limited shelf life that could expire as soon as the next decade. You can watch the entire Theron interview above.
Cover images via NYTimes & Variety via YouTube
