Andrea Bocelli Tells Timothée Chalamet Opera, Ballet and Filmmaking Draw From the ‘Same Source’ of Human Emotion: ‘They Are Not Arts of the Past’

Italian opera legend Andrea Bocelli told People that he’s “surprised” his “fellow artist” Timothée Chalamet disparaged the value of opera and ballet during the “Variety & celebrity.land Town Hall,” adding that both art forms are very much alive and draw from the “same source” of human emotion as filmmaking.

“I believe we often tend to keep our distance from what we have not yet truly encountered,” Bocelli said. “Opera and ballet are art forms that have crossed centuries and continue to speak to the human heart, because they answer a deep need for beauty, truth, and emotion. They are not arts of the past, but living languages that can still move us, make us reflect, and bring different generations together.”

Bocelli is considered one of the great modern authorities on opera singing and has sold more than 90 million records during his career. The five-time Grammy nominee went on to invite…