Elon Musk won’t back down from slamming Christopher Nolan for his casting choices for his upcoming film The Odyssey. In his most recent tweet Musk asserted that the Academy’s DEI requirements are responsible for the director selecting a diverse array of cast members,
“Who specifically is the a**hole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?”
On Friday, he slammed Nolan and said,
“Chris Nolan desecrated the Odyssey so that he would be eligible for an Academy Award.”
Nolan’s film which revolves around Homer’s poem Odyssey features Lupita Nyong’o in the role of Helen of Troy. Musk had earlier argued that Lupita is not the right fit for the character since historically Helen of Troy was described as “fair skinned” and the most beautiful woman in the world whose abduction started the Trojan War.
Elon Musk had also argued that Nolan deliberately chose Lupita to qualify for the Oscars since the Academy Awards have Diversity and Inclusion requirements. The DEI guidelines were implied since 2020, to encourage “equitable representation on and off screen” and targets specific group including women, LGBTQ+, disabled people. The move applies exclusively for the Best Picture category award.
“Christ Nolan has lost his integrity” – says Elon Musk
This is not the first time Elon Musk has criticized Christopher Nolan for his casting choices. In February, 2026, when Lupita Nyong’o’s involvement was just a rumor, Musk responded to a user who argued that Lupita is not the right fit for the role for her color,
“Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.”
In a TIME profile published on May 12, Nolan confirmed Lupita Nyong’o’s involvement in the film as Helen of Troy. At the time, conservative commentator Matt Welsh argued and said,
“Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’ But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave “the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman. Nolan technically talented but a coward.”
Elon Musk responded to the tweet and said, “True.” In another tweet, Musk said that Nolan just “wants the awards.”
Lupita Nyong’o is Kenyan-Mexican and is best known for winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her debut role in 12 Years a Slave. She also went on to appear in Black Panther, US, Day One, and A Quiet Place.
Edited by Soujanya Shapur