Alec Baldwin did not take kindly to Elon Musk disparaging Lupita Nyong'o's looks over her casting as Helen of Troy in the upcoming film The Odyssey, based on Homer's epic poem. The Tesla CEO grumbled that Nyong'o could not play Zeus's daughter, whose exceptional beauty sparked the 10-year Trojan War after she was taken to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, according to Greek mythology. Nyong'o will also be playing the role of Helen's sister Clytemnestra, who was beautiful but not enough to launch a thousand ships.
Baldwin defended Nyong'o via Instagram: 'Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in the world,' alongside a photo of the 43-year-old Kenyan-Mexican actress. The war of words started when political commentator and podcast host Matt Walsh wrote on X, 'Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong'o is "the most beautiful woman in the world."' Walsh, whose critics have accused him of promoting white supremacy and spreading racist conspiracy views, then directed his attack on the film's director.
'But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave "the most beautiful woman" role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward. Too afraid to do anything that even slightly challenges the spirit of the age,' Walsh concluded. Musk seconded Walsh's opinion by writing, 'True.' When someone posed the question, 'Why is Christopher Nolan like so many other directors so keen to race swap white characters?' Musk responded, 'He wants the awards.'
The billionaire said Nolan has 'lost his integrity' by casting Nyong'o in the role. In another post, Walsh claimed people would be 'driven to murderous violence' if Sydney Sweeney had been cast in a film as 'the most beautiful woman in Africa.' 'Absolutely true,' Musk chimed in. 'Such hypocrisy in Hollywood.'
Earlier this month, rumors began to circulate online that 39-year-old transgender actor Elliot Page had been cast as Achilles, the legendary hero of the Trojan War, which also set Musk on edge. He wrote on X that the idea was 'one of the dumbest and twisted things I've ever heard.' After it was announced that Page will portray the character Elpenor, Musk reposted a mean-spirited tweet that read, 'I'm not mocking her masculinity. I'm denying its existence.'
Meanwhile, Nyong'o – who took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2014 for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave – was crowned People magazine's most beautiful that year. 'It was exciting and just a major, major compliment,' the actress said at the time. 'I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen.' Nyong'o used to base beauty on what she saw on television. 'Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair,' she told the publication. 'Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess.' She added that her mother, Dorothy, 'always said I was beautiful, and I finally believed her at some point.'
