Fran Drescher has defended her Marty Supreme co-star Timothée Chalamet over his controversial comments about the ballet and opera.
The Oscar-nominated actor recently came under fire online and from the performing arts community after he claimed in an interview that people don't care about ballet or opera anymore.
The Nanny actress, who plays Chalamet's mother in the drama, came to his defence on Sunday, insisting to People that he has "great respect and regard for the arts", coming from a family filled with ballet dancers.
In a separate interview with E! News at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 2026 Oscars viewing party, Drescher spoke to Chalamet's character, saying, "I actually find him to be a very sweet and kind person, so I think that maybe he got a little too relaxed and maybe spoke out of turn."
She added, "He comes from a family of artists and he's been exposed to fine arts his whole life, so I really don't think, knowing him, that he meant for it to be received the way it did."
The 68-year-old also predicted that the three-time Oscar nominee may be more careful about what he says in interviews in the future.
"You live, you learn," she stated to People. "You gotta be careful what you say to the press because you could paint yourself into a corner you can't get out of. I don't think that it's gonna have a lasting impact on his career - which is sensational. But, he'll be more careful next time.
"Maybe he'll do less press and just be more aware of what he's saying instead of (being) so relaxed because now he sees that you could be on top and then people could turn against you. So, you gotta always be very careful."
During the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, host Conan O'Brien poked fun at the controversy during his opening monologue by joking, "Security is extremely tight tonight. I'm told there's concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities."
Chalamet was up for Best Actor for Marty Supreme but lost out to Michael B. Jordan for Sinners.
