Lupita Nyong’o has responded to criticism of her casting to play Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey by haughtily declaring “our cast is representative of the world.”
Her elevation to play the legendary figure in Greek mythology – famed as the most beautiful woman in the world – was first hinted at earlier this month.
Elon Musk was just one of the many who decried the choice of Nyong’o, 43, in Homer’s epic mythical tale, as Breitbart News reported.
“Q: Why is Christopher Nolan like many other directors so keen to race swap white characters? A: Quotas and awards,” one X user wrote in a post, to which Musk replied by taking to the comment section to assert, “He wants the awards.”
Nyong’o is refusing to accept the criticism and has clapped back at those who would question her.
“You can’t perform beauty,” the Kenyan-Mexican actress told Elle of the backlash over her role as “the most beautiful woman in the world” in a profile published on Thursday.
“I want to know who a character is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That’s the thing about doing such a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from,” she continued.
“Research could be endless. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it’s on the page,” she added of the acclaimed director.
“The investigation starts with the pages you’re given. That’s what I based it on.”
The actresses further reminded readers Homer’s epic “is a mythological story” and not an historical retelling.
“I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling,” the “12 Years a Slave” actress told the magazine, noting that the “cast is representative of the world.”
“I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense,” she explained. “The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”
Lupita Nyong’o arrives for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty)
Elsewhere in the interview, the model proudly noted her feelings at being chosen, “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.”
As Breitbart News reported, recent rumors of transgender actor Elliot Page — formerly Ellen — playing Achilles in Nolan’s effort have also sparked backlash.
“You could have paid me to tank this movie and I wouldn’t have thought of this,” actor Kevin Sorbo said in addressing the rumor of Page playing Achilles, who another X user described as “a demigod with long blond hair and unmatched strength” while lamenting the potential casting.
As for the casting of Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, this is not the first time Musk has commented on the black actress playing the character — who was described by the ancient Greek poet Homer as being fair skinned and golden-haired — in Nolan’s retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey.
Earlier this year, when Nyong’o’s role was still a rumor, Musk offered this free character assessment, saying, “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity” in response to an X user who noted Helen of Troy was a “fair skinned blonde” who men started a war over “because she was so beautiful.”