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Transphobia against Elliot Page grows as The Odyssey approaches, and Elon Musk joins dogpile

The actor has opened up about how transphobia affects him

Oreoluwa Adeyoola
17th June 2026, 17:12
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Elliot Page’s next big project is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, but the actor is already being subjected to horrendous transphobic harassment, including comments from the richest man in the world.

This summer, Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey will be hitting theatres in IMAX, and there’s a lot of hype around it. The cast is stacked – Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and more are set to star in the 2-hour, 52-minute spectacle.

False tweets went viral claiming that Elliot Page will be playing Achilles. This speculation was immediately met with racist backlash, especially when it was confirmed that Lupita would be playing Helen of Troy.

“The most famous warrior in all of history, not just Greek history, Achilles, is about to be played by a transgender woman in a brand new movie.,” American TV host Rob Finnerty said in an address last month. He also deadnamed Elliot and continued to criticise the casting.

“The woman whose face launched a thousand ships, whose beauty was unparalleled, a woman who was definitely white is going to be played by Lupita Nyong’o,” he said. “I’ve got nothing against Lupita, but I do have a problem with the complete rewriting of history. Helen of Troy was not Black.”

One tweet about the news mocked Elliot’s strength, saying: “Achilles, I challenge you to open this pickle jar.”

Elon Musk replied: “Banger”.

He also showed support for comments saying Lupita was only cast as Helen of Troy so Christopher Nolan wouldn’t be called racist.

Elliot Page has previously spoken to the Los Angeles Times about transphobia he experiences, especially after an incident when a man threatened violence against him.

“Now when I’m in Los Angeles, I don’t feel comfortable like I used to going for walks,” he said.

He acknowledged his privilege as a successful actor, but added: “[That] doesn’t mean it’s not traumatic. But I have resources that, in every instance that is difficult, protect and can shield me from these things.”

Featured image via Dave Allocca/StarPix/Shutterstock