Lupita Nyong’o is, objectively, one of the most attractive people currently working in Hollywood, so of course she’s playing Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. “I was so deeply honored to be entrusted with the role,” Nyong’o told Elle in a recent profile. “I mean, she is iconic. What more can I say?”
As Nyong’o is also iconic, the casting makes sense to most people, but not all, as there’s been a level of racist backlash against her casting, which led the Oscar-winning actress to offer up the gentle reminder that “this is a mythological story.” As in, you know, fiction, based on a book you can buy on Amazon.
The Elle piece touches on the racist responses to Nyong’o’s casting but doesn’t mention that one of the loudest voices complaining about it is very cool and normal Elon Musk, who has been on the warpath about her playing — not to mention the rumored involvement of Elliot Page as Achilles’ ghost.
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Nyong’o, though, says that she fully supports Nolan’s vision for his diverse Odyssey: “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.”
For his part, Nolan told Elle that he picked Nyong’o because “The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless… I was absolutely desperate for her to do the part.”
The Odyssey sails into movie theaters on July 17th.
