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Lupita Nyong’o responds to ‘racist’ criticism of The Odyssey role, as Elon Musk joins in

SHe's playing Helen of Troy

Oreoluwa Adeyoola
18th June 2026, 17:35
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After a wave of racist backlash for her role as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Lupita Nyong’o has shared a statement.

This summer, we’re getting a three-hour action epic from legendary director Christopher Nolan, and the cast is stacked full of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of this Greek classic is facing pushback over its casting, with conservative think tanks labelling it “too diverse”. One role that’s been at the centre of extremely racist discourse is Lupita Nyong’o’s portrayal of the iconic Helen of Troy.

“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,” political commentator Matt Walsh said on X. “Nolan is technically talented but a coward.”

Elon Musk retweeted this post, and replied “True”.

He also shared a tweet which described Helen of Troy as “fair-skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.”

The trillionaire replied: “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.”

In an interview with Elle, she supported Christopher Nolan’s choices, and addressed the relentless criticism she has received for the role.

“I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world,” she said.

“I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”

Despite the belief that Lupita is just a token casting, Christopher Nolan has revealed the Oscar-winning actress was always his intention for Helen of Troy.

In the same interview with Elle, he said: “The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless. I’m sure there’s a tremendous amount of discipline and training that goes into projecting that kind of poise and feeling the emotion bubbling beneath the character, the layers of the character right there underneath. She’s just an incredible person to work with, and I was absolutely desperate for her to do the part.”

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Featured image via Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock