Months ahead of its release, filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Odyssey is already generating controversy following unconfirmed reports about a key casting decision.
The film, expected to be one of the year’s biggest releases, boasts a star-studded ensemble that includes Zendaya, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway. According to a social media post circulating online, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has been tapped to portray Helen of Troy, the mythical figure whose beauty is said to have sparked the Trojan War. While her casting has not been officially confirmed, the rumor has prompted strong criticism from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has said he plans to boycott the film.
Musk took to X to object to the possibility of a dark-skinned actress portraying Helen of Troy, writing that Helen was “fair-skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.” He added that casting choices which he believes undermine the story are “an admission that the story was never the point and an insult to the author.” In a follow-up post, Musk claimed Nolan had “lost his integrity.”
Critics quickly pointed out that Helen of Troy is a mythological figure rather than a historical person. While Homer’s ancient Greek texts describe Helen as blonde, the character has been portrayed by actresses of various backgrounds over the decades, including Eartha Kitt in a 1950 stage production.
Homer is believed to have written The Odyssey around 700 BCE. Nolan’s film centers on Odysseus’s decade-long journey home to Ithaca following the Trojan War. In Greek mythology, Helen, the daughter of Zeus and the wife of Spartan King Tyndareus, was taken by Trojan Prince Paris, an act that triggered the war between Troy and the Greek states.
Online reaction to Musk’s comments was swift, with many users defending Nyong’o and dismissing the controversy. Several noted that Helen’s race is not central to the narrative and that Nyong’o is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and celebrated actresses of her generation.
“Helen of Troy is a mythological figure. She can be played by anyone. Her race is unimportant to the story,” one user wrote. Others mocked the backlash, pointing out that public outrage over the character’s skin tone ignores the fantastical nature of Greek mythology, including Helen’s divine parentage.
Nolan, speaking previously to Empire magazine, said the production was massive in scale, revealing that more than two million feet of film were shot over 91 days. According to Variety, The Odyssey is scheduled to premiere in July.
