Lupita Nyong’o has addressed the wave of trolling – including from Elon Musk – after she was cast as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey.
The 43-year-old star is joined by a star-studded ensemble cast for the adaptation of Homer’s epic with Matt Damon as the eponymous Odysseus, Tom Holland as son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as wife Penelope, Zendaya as goddess Athena and Robert Pattinson as suitor Antinous.
As told through the 2,600 year old stories of the Iliad and Odyssey, in Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is known as the ‘face that launched a thousand ships’ after she ran away from her Spartan husband Menelaus with Trojan prince Paris, sparking the famed Trojan war.
Renowned for her beauty (the most beautiful woman in the world, according to Aphrodite), the Quiet Place star will step into Helen’s shoes for the highly anticipated movie but is already facing swathes of racist vitriol for daring to be a Black woman taking on the role.
Leading the charge when it comes to the criticism is right-wing billionaire Elon Musk, who agreed with right-wing commentator Matt Walsh declaring Nolan was a ‘coward’ for not casting a white woman in the role.
The Tesla founder said the Academy Award winning filmmaker had ‘grossly insulted the Greek people’ and was an ‘an anti-White racist.’
All an extremely normal and proportionate reaction to the casting of a fellow Oscar winning star as a fictional character – daughter of Zeus and Leda – in an ancient text passed down orally….
As Jimmy Kimmel put it, there are no rules in Greek mythology, ‘This is made up … So it makes no difference to anyone but crazy angry people what color she was.’
Still, in a new interview, the 12 years a Slave actress responded to the volume of backlash.
Echoing Kimmel, she told Elle that she was ‘deeply honoured to land the role, and reminded people: ‘This is a mythological story.
She continued: ‘I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense.
‘The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.’
Later adding: ‘It’s quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time.’
She was also keen to emphasise that portraying Helen goes beyond beauty and its about unravelling the layers within.
Certainly, if we go beyond Homer’s texts, her place in Greek literature further fleshes out this fraught character, especially in several of Euripirdes plays – one of which is partially set in Egypt where the real Helen is hidden.
Meanwhile, discussing his reasoning for casting Lupita in the first place, Nolan the Tenet creator said: ‘The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless.’
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Calling her an ‘incredible person to work with’ he revealed he was ‘desparate for her to do the part’.
The movie as a whole is facing plenty of scrutiny, especially after ther recent release of the trailer. Many expressed concern over the Americanisation of the tale – especially through the dialogue.
Tipped to be one of the biggest movies of the year, adapting one of the most iconic stories of all time (literally), it’s no surprise the stakes feel high.
The Odyssey comes out in UK cinemas on July 17, 2026.
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