Controversial they may have been, but Timothe Chalamet comments on ballet and opera might have done some good.

In a new interview with The Times, the chief of Londons flagship opera house has thanked the Hollywood actor for boosting ticket sales amid his outrage-sparking remark that no one cares about the art forms anymore.

Alex Beard, of the Royal Ballet and Opera, said public reaction to the Marty Supreme stars comments was fantastic.

I thought it important that we didnt issue a kind of hoity-toity response to Chalamet, said Beard. We simply said Take a look at what were doing, mate for instance, the fact that the largest portion of our audience by age is 20 to 30-year-olds. 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!

Only this week, the Oscar nominee got some much-needed support from Luca Guadagnino, who spoke toItalian dailyLa Stampaahead of the premiere of his adaptation of John Adams 1991 opera,The Death of Klinghoffer, in Florence.

The filmmaker, whose age-gap romance Call Me by Your Name made Chalamet a global star and earned him his first Academy Award nomination, conceded that the 30-year-old could have spared himself the public ire. Translated from Italian, he toldLa Stampa: I am not on social media and dont understand how one [single] comment can become a planetary polemic Maybe Timothe could have spared himself. But hes young, smart, sensitive, and he fears that cinema could become marginal. And thats exactly why every form of imagination should be nurtured. We must unite the arts, not separate them.

Chalamets bold awards campaign took a nose-divein early March, unhelped by his opera-ballet comments: I dont want to be working in ballet or opera where its like, Hey! Keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore, he said in a live conversation with Matthew McConaughey forVarietyandCNN. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there I just lost 14 cents in viewership. Im taking shots for no reason.

The Royal Ballet and Opera did, in fact, respond at the time. A spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter: Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms. Their influence can be felt across theatre, film, contemporary music, fashion, and beyond. For centuries, these disciplines have shaped the way artists create and audiences experience culture, and today millions of people around the world continue to enjoy and engage with them.