Elon Musk is facing widespread backlash after launching an online campaign against Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film The Odyssey. Nolan confirmed in a recent interview that Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o will portray dual roles as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra in his adaptation of Homer's epic, slated for a July release.
Casting Sparks Controversy
The casting news ignited a wave of racially charged and misogynistic posts targeting the 12 Years a Slave star. Critics noted that Helen of Troy was renowned in Greek mythology as the most beautiful woman in the world. Right-wing commentator Matt Walsh claimed in an unfounded X post that “not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’” He added, “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.”
Musk, 54, responded to Walsh's post with a simple: “True.”
Social Media Backlash
Social media users quickly rallied to condemn the Tesla CEO for endorsing Walsh's ideology. One X user wrote: “So this is just open racism.” Another commented: “Imagine being so racist you have to pretend that Lupita ISN’T one of the most beautiful people alive.” A third user stated: “I actually feel kind of sorry for these men because it must be so sad to be so racist that you can’t even appreciate beauty when it falls outside the Eurocentric standard. Just a sad, bland, boring life.”
Nyong’o did not respond to requests for comment.
Musk's History with The Odyssey
This is not Musk's first criticism of The Odyssey, which also stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, and Travis Scott. In February, Musk claimed in an X post that Nolan “lost his integrity” for casting Nyong’o. He also shared several posts criticizing Nolan’s casting of Page, who is rumored to play the Greek god Achilles. Musk, estranged from his trans daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson, reposted transphobic comments about Page, who came out as a transgender man in December 2020.
The Odyssey, in theaters July 17, follows Damon’s Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War.
