Charlize Theron: “In a decade, AI could do Timothée Chalamet’s job, but it will never replace live performance”
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Charlize Theron said in a recent interview that she believes artificial intelligence will, in the coming years, be capable of performing some of the tasks done by actors like Timothée Chalamet. However, she emphasized that it can never replace live art forms such as ballet—art forms in which human presence plays an irreplaceable role.
Theron recently stated in an interview that she considers Timothée Chalamet’s remark that “no one cares about opera or ballet” to be very careless.
When asked about the most mentally challenging aspects of her past roles, the action star said: “Dancing was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Dancers are truly like superheroes. What they put their bodies through in complete silence is incredible.”
The interviewer then referred to Chalamet’s controversial comment about “ballet or opera,” and Theron responded: “I really hope I get to meet him one day. That statement about one art form—or rather two art forms—was very thoughtless. We should always support these arts because yes, they face many difficulties. But in ten years, AI could do Timothée’s job, while it will never be able to replace a human on stage dancing live.”
She continued: “We should not disrespect other art forms. Dance taught me discipline, structure, hard work, and how to be strong. It pushes you to the point of being almost painful. I’ve had multiple blood infections from blisters that never healed. And there are no days off. I mean it—your shoes are soaked in blood. And it’s something you have to train for every day: the mindset that you don’t give up, there are no other options, and you just keep going.”
Timothée Chalamet had previously said in a panel that he does not want the experience of watching films in cinemas to become like ballet or opera, where artists try to “keep the art alive” while “no one cares about it anymore.”
He said: “I respect people who go on talk shows and say we must keep cinemas alive or preserve this genre. But part of me also thinks that if people really want to see something—like Barbie or Oppenheimer—they will go and watch it and talk about it with enthusiasm. I don’t want to work in a field like ballet or opera where people constantly say we must keep it alive, while it feels like no one cares anymore. Of course, I respect everyone working in ballet and opera.”
