LOS ANGELES  –  Actress Lupita Nyong’o has told people who have criticised her casting as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey to remember that “this is a mythological story”. The Oscar winner will play Helen, whose beauty famously “launched a thousand ships” and resulted in the Trojan war, according to Homer’s ancient Greek legend.

But her casting has now sparked a culture war too, with critics including Elon Musk claiming it’s wrong to cast a black actress as the character in Nolan’s hotly anticipated movie. Speaking to Elle, Nyong’o responded: “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 added: “I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”

Nyong’o also told the outlet: “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.”

The criticism erupted after Nyongo’s casting was revealed last week. Musk said director Nolan has “grossly insulted the Greek people”, and replied “true” to a meme of a man supposedly dancing on Homer’s grave. The X owner wrote: “I agree that Nyong’o is beautiful, but casting a Black woman to play a White woman in a foundational work of European literature is no more right than casting a White man to play Shaka Zulu!” Shaka Zulu was a famed leader of the Zulu nation. Musk renewed his attack on Friday, writing on X: “Chris Nolan is an anti-White racist.”

Nolan has not responded to the criticism. The Briton, one of the most celebrated film-makers in Hollywood, has directed and written the new interpretation of Homer’s epic poem.

Nolan won two Oscars in 2024 for his last release, Oppenheimer, and also is known for films including Dunkirk, Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight. Nyong’o won an Oscar in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave, and has also starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Black Panther. The Odyssey will also star Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, and will be released in cinemas in the US and UK on 17 July.