Lupita Nyong’o made it very clear that she will be paying racist comments about her casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey with dust.
In a new cover story for ELLE Magazine, the Academy Award-winning actress addressed the recent racist commentary surrounding her casting as Helen of Troy, a fictional demigod known for her beauty in Nolan’s film, and the backlash the director received for the decision.
One of the loudest critics was none other than Phony Stark, aka Elon Musk, who said on his lousy platform X (formerly Twitter) that Nolan “desecrated The Odyssey so that he would be eligible for an Academy Award.” Before the Nyong’o’s role in the film was confirmed, Musk said Nolan “lost his integrity.”
In her ELLE Magazine cover story, Nyong’o said she was “very supportive of Chris’ intention” to cast people of color in the stacked cast that also includes Zendaya, Corey Hawkins, and, hilariously, Travis Scott.
“Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not,” Nyong’o said.
“It’s quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time,” she continued.
She also made sure to point out that The Odyssey “is a mythological story.
Christopher Nolan Defended His Casting of Lupita Nyong’o
Nolan also defended the casting, telling ELLE, “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,” he continued. “She’s just an incredible person to work with, and I was absolutely desperate for her to do the part.”
Word.
Social media also has Nyong’o’s back and is slamming all of the haters.
You can see those reactions below.
