Lupita Nyong’o Addresses Her Odyssey Casting: ‘I Was Stunned’

Lupita Nyong’o joins the ranks of Christopher Nolan’s impressive lineup of actors in his upcoming movie, The Odyssey. Nyong’o is doing something only a few actors have done before: playing two different roles at the same time.

CBR spoke with Nyong’o to discuss her involvement in Nolan’s next cinematic outing. Nyong’o plays sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, two women who are driven by their anger towards the world around them and the men who rule over them. Nyong’o plays Helen of Troy when she is married to King Menelaus of Sparta (Jon Bernthal), which gives audiences a different perspective of Helen when contrasting her sister, Clytemnestra. Readers of Homer’s The Odyssey know what happens between her and her husband, Agamemnon (Benny Safdie). When talking with Nyong’o, Rachel Leishman asked the actress about playing the different rage within both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, as the two are very different in their feelings yet similar in how each sister addresses the pain that they’ve faced.

Nyong’o is the first actor to play both of these sisters in an adaptation of Homer’s poem. Nyong’o was “stunned” that Nolan was trusting her to play these two icons of Greek mythology.

“I think this movie is a lot about the cost of war on everybody. Those who go to war, those who are left behind, or those who caused the war. For these two women, they have experienced this time very differently. Their anger is a product of their unique experiences. I was stunned when Chris told me he wanted me to play these two iconic characters. The goal for me was to try and create distinctions that were internal. And I think that’s something else about working with Chris. He’s really interested in the interiority. That then, hopefully, comes through in the film.”

Christopher Nolan Is Bringing Greek Myths to Life

Part of the beauty of The Odyssey is that the movie brings to life a myth that has been taught in schools for literally centuries. First presented to the world as an oral poem, most modern “fans” of the work have experienced it through the lens of “Homer,” the author given to both The Odyssey and The Iliad, despite scholars not knowing if Homer actually ever existed. In the past, moviegoers have seen a “Helen of Troy” brought to life in the movie Troy (2004) by director Wolfgang Petersen, with Diane Kruger as the mythical face that launched a thousand ships.

The lore around Helen of Troy is often talked about more than Clytemnestra’s story, mainly because of how romanticized Helen is. She is what started the Trojan War, as Paris, the Prince of Troy, took Helen into the city that was infamously hard to break into. This is what sends Odysseus and his men to the shores of Troy to wait outside and trick the Trojans into permitting the wooden horse holding the soldiers inside its walls.

Nolan’s take on The Odyssey doesn’t necessarily retell what happened to lead up to the Battle of Troy. The Trojan War and the Battle of Troy exist in The Iliad, including the myth of Achilles. In The Odyssey, Helen is seen at a different time in her life that doesn’t exactly align with audience expectations.

Previously, the story of Helen of Troy was often depicted by men fighting over her, but Nyong’o’s take on both Helen and Clytemnestra is filled with anger and a rage that makes them captivating to watch. Nolan trusted each of his actors to bring something unique to the story being told.

You can watch Nyongo play both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra in Nolan’s The Odyssey on July 17.