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Actor Lupita Nyong’o has faced backlash over her role as Helen of Troy in the upcoming film. But fury surrounding her casting says more about our narrow understanding of identity than our interest in historical accuracy.
When Christopher Nolan, purveyor of the epic thriller and sprawling cinematic project, announced he would be working on an adaptation of Homer’s famous poem The Odyssey, lovers of antiquity knew they were in for a treat.
Every nugget of information drip fed about the behemoth project has only amped up fan excitement – most notably the stacked cast of A-listers which includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Matt Damon.
But as with all period movies, Nolan’s take has faced its fair share of questioning. After all, this is ancient Greece we’re dealing with. It’s a revered chunk of history up there with the Roman Empire in its vice-like grip on modern imaginations.
First-look images were immediately interrogated online, critics questioned the styling, makeup and scenery before any details of plot or pacing were released. But it’s the casting that’s stirred up particular controversy. Specifically Lupita Nyong’o’s role as Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the ancient world.
As Thomas Chatterton Williams writes, this detail has revealed more about our societal perception of identity than it has about Nolan’s knowledge of antiquity. Backlash against Nyong’o may be veiled with a guise of concern for historical accuracy, but it’s really an excuse to pick apart a Black woman.
‘Audiences are willing to suspend all manner of disbelief in the service of a good story,’ writes Williams, ‘except, apparently, when it comes to race.’
In a move that surprised almost nobody, Elon Musk was the first to launch a tirade against Nolan and Nyong’o when news of her casting first emerged. A self-confessed (former) fan of Nolan’s, Musk took to X to claim the director had ‘lost his integrity’ by picking Nyong’o for the role.
Since then, right-wing provocateur’s like Matt Walsh have reignited the debate. ‘Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave ‘the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman, he said on X.
Musk has been amping up his tirade ever since. ‘Chris Nolan is pissing on Homer’s grave,’ he wrote in one tweet. Another stated ‘Chris Nolan has shown total contempt for the Greek People.’ No matter that I doubt Musk consulted any of these said ‘Greek People’ before typing up his inflamed messages, but Musk – like other critics of Nyong’o’s casting – seem to have no problem with the other actors on the call sheet.
Matt Damon, who will take the starring role as Odysseus, has no Mediterranean ancestry, nor do many of the other main actors. The supposed commitment to authenticity appears to begin and end with Nyong’o’s skin colour.
