Lupita Nyong’o is giving her perspective on the toxic online criticism of the Oscar winner playing Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.
In a new profile in Elle, the actress was asked about the blowback among predominantly right-wing pundits who have contended the Black actress shouldn’t play “the most beautiful woman in the world” in Universal’s big-budget take on Homer’s classic fable.
First, Nyong’o reminds readers “this is a mythological story” — not, as its often been characterized, some sort of historical drama.
“I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling,” she said. “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. … 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. … I was so deeply honored to be entrusted with the role.”
Nyong’o also dismissed the idea of focusing on the character as “the face that launched 1,000 ships.”
“You can’t perform beauty,” she said. “I want to know who a character is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That’s the thing about doing such a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from. The research could be endless. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it’s on the page. The investigation starts with the pages you’re given. That’s what I based it on.”
The backlash hit the mainstream media after conservative political commentator and Daily Wire host Matt Walsh took exception to the casting on X last week. His post, which featured a screenshot of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Tuesday reporting on Nyong’o’s roles in The Odyssey, caught the attention of Elon Musk.
“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,” Walsh wrote. “Nolan is technically talented but a coward. Too afraid to do anything that even slightly challenges the spirit of the age.” Musk replied quickly, writing, “True.”
In the new interview, Nyong’o added, “I can’t spend my time thinking about all the people who still don’t love me. You’ll find the representatives who believe in you, and you’ll get on with it. I want to believe I’m built to last.”
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