1 week ago
After nan casting that launched a 1000 trolls, Lupita Nyong’o isn’t wasting her power connected acknowledging haters.
The Oscar victor precocious shared her consequence to racially-fueled online criticisms of her casting arsenic Helen of Troy and Helen’s sister Clytemnestra successful Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey, an adjustment of Homer’s ancient Greek epic.
“This is simply a mythological story,” she told Elle. “I’m very supportive of Chris’ volition pinch it and pinch nan type of this communicative that he is telling. Our formed is typical of nan world. I’m not spending my clip reasoning of a defense. The disapproval will beryllium whether I prosecute pinch it aliases not.”
Nyong’o added, “It’s rather thing to beryllium a portion of The Odyssey, because it is truthful grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why nan formed is what it is. We’re occupying nan epic communicative of our time.”
After criticisms from nan likes of Elon Musk and Matt Walsh complete her casting arsenic “the look that launched a 1000 ships,” Nyong’o offers a much nuanced attack to nan characteristic of Helen.
“You can’t execute beauty. I want to cognize who a characteristic is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That’s nan point astir doing specified a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from. The investigation could beryllium endless. The bully point astir moving pinch a writer for illustration Chris is that it’s connected nan page. The investigation starts pinch nan pages you’re given. That’s what I based it on.”
Last week, Walsh took to societal media to complain that “not 1 personification connected nan satellite really thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the astir beautiful female successful nan world,'” adding that Nolan “is technically talented but a coward.” Musk agreed, accusing Nolan of changing nan character’s ethnicity because “he wants nan awards.”
Others person besides criticized Nolan for casting achromatic musician Travis Scott and trans character Elliot Page.
The Odyssey is slated to premiere connected July 17, 2026, depicting Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous travel location aft nan Trojan War. The movie besides stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo and more.
