Charlize Theron Walks Back AI Comments About Timothée Chalamet at NYC Premiere

Charlize Theron is pumping the brakes on comments she made about Timothée Chalamet and the future of acting.

The 50-year-old Oscar winner had previously responded to the 30-year-old actor's remarks about ballet and opera by suggesting that AI could eventually take over his job—but wouldn't be able to replicate live performance. Now, appearing at the New York premiere of her film Apex on Wednesday, April 22, she's reconsidering that take.

"Honestly, I talked out of my ass," Theron told Variety. "I don't know what's going to happen in ten years, okay? Nobody does."

She did stand by the spirit of her original point, though. "But I assume that a living, live performance would be hard [to replicate]," she explained. "And then someone's like, 'There's a dancing robot in Hong Kong'—but he's not Misty Copeland."

The comments stem from Chalamet's earlier remarks during a CNN Town Hall event this year, when he discussed his career preferences. "I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore,'" he said. "All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there."

Those words drew considerable backlash, and the moment didn't escape attention at last month's Academy Awards ceremony either. Host Conan O'Brien worked the controversy into his monologue, drawing reactions from Chalamet during the telecast.