Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Sparks Right-Wing Backlash Over Black and Trans Casting

Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey has drawn criticism from American conservatives, not for its narrative about the consequences of breaking tradition, but for its diverse casting. Elon Musk called Nolan an “anti-White racist” over Lupita Nyong’o playing Helen, while others objected to trans actor Elliot Page as Sinon. The backlash reflects a broader right-wing tendency to claim ancient Greek achievements as exclusively white heritage, despite historical evidence of Black figures in Greek art and literature. The film features Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Robert Pattinson as Antinous. Critics ignore that The Odyssey is a fantasy with magic and monsters, and that color-blind casting is artistically valid given race as a modern construct. The author, an alumnus of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, recalls Black teachers imparting the classics without racial ownership, and notes Corey Hawkins, another Ellington alumnus, appears in the film.