Christopher Nolan has found himself in chaos even before The Odyssey has come out, and the controversy is about one of the actors starring in the Greek play’s adaptation. The cast list is full of big names, but one stood out for Elon Musk, who is voicing his disapproval in public.
A Time magazine profile of Nolan published on May 12 confirmed that Lupita Nyong’o is playing Helen of Troy, and also her sister Clytemnestra, giving the Oscar-winning actress a dual role in the film. Elon Musk then weighed in.
On January 31, 2026, Musk posted on X that “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity,” responding to a user who called the rumored casting of Nyong’o in The Odyssey an insult to Homer.
Soon enough, things got worse. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh used X to argue that casting Nyong’o as Helen was a racially motivated decision and Musk joined in that Nolan made the decision solely to get awards.
It didn’t stop there. Elliot Page, cast in The Odyssey as Achilles, became another target. When a user posted a transphobic meme mocking Page’s identity, Musk called it a “banger,” and also approvingly shared a fan-made clip of Brad Pitt from the 2004 film Troy, telling followers that “Troy is an epic movie.” His comments have divided fans, as many supported him while several called him out for his racism ands transphobia.
Nolan responded soon as he gave a TIME interview and defended his casting choices. Responding to the criticism he also added,
“Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about ‘Interstellar.’ But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”
More details about Lupita Nyong’o’ role in The Odyssey
There is often much noise and arguments when a character who has often been portrayed by one race is portrayed by another for a change. So was the case for Halle Bailey who played Ariel on The Little Mermaid and Paapa Essiedu for Harry Potter.
The mythology defense, raised by many online, is also worth understanding clearly. Helen of Troy in The Odyssey is a figure from myth, not documented history, and her origin story within Greek mythology involves Zeus transforming into a swan. Arguments about racial accuracy applied to a character whose own father was a god in bird form have an obvious logical gap. Several historians and classicists pointed this out immediately and that it didn’t slow the argument down at all.
Whatever it takes, the actress will certainly fit the character she’s set to play, and given it’s a film by Christopher Nolan, a perfectionist, we should not doubt his casting choices.
Edited by Nibir Konwar