Lupita Nyong’o’s Casting as Helen of Troy Raises Eyebrows

Actress Lupita Nyong’o has sparked conversation with her role as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film. It’s been suggested that if the ancient Greek poet Homer were around today, he might be criticized for sidelining female characters.

Nyong’o, who candidly admitted she hadn’t been familiar with Homer’s work prior to this project, was asked how she thought Homer would react if he could see the film. During an interview with Jake Hamilton, he posed a thought-provoking scenario: imagine sitting next to Homer in a theater watching The Odyssey. Would you want to ask him about your performance?

While other stars like Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon offered deeper insights into Homer’s writing or the movie’s craftsmanship, Nyong’o cleverly pointed out the lack of focus on female roles in Homer’s narratives.

“I’d probably ask him, ‘So, Homer, what do you think about the screen time given to women, considering how little you’ve included them?'” she quipped, leaning into the question playfully.

With a chuckle, she added a little sassy flair, wondering, “Do you even remember us?”

The Yale-educated actress mentioned her surprise at not knowing much about the classic tales before taking on this role. “I really had no idea what The Odyssey was,” she recalled in an interview with Elle Magazine. “I realized, ‘Wow, I need to educate myself on this quickly.’ So, I picked up the book and jumped right in. I owe my understanding of Greek mythology to this film.”

Nolan’s adaptation has generated mixed reactions due to its modern interpretations of age-old stories. The final trailer recently released on YouTube faced a considerable number of negative comments, with critics particularly targeting the casting choices of Nyong’o as Helen and Elliot Page as a male warrior.