{"id":51845,"date":"2026-07-13T14:47:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=51845"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:47:04","slug":"christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-faces-backlash-over-woke-casting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/07\/christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-faces-backlash-over-woke-casting.html","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Nolan\u2019s ‘The Odyssey’ Faces Backlash Over ‘woke’ Casting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Universal Pictures | Inset: Denis Makarenko \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the most bankable directors in Hollywood has been raising some eyebrows with casting for what was supposed to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. Christopher Nolan has earned audiences\u2019 trust and admiration with films like \u201cInterstellar,\u201d his \u201cBatman\u201d trilogy, \u201cInception,\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d The announcement that he planned a big budget adaptation of Homer\u2019s epic, The Odyssey<\/em> was generally received with excitement from audiences. However as more and more news about the film\u2019s casting becomes released, some of the excitement has been tempered with fear of the film going \u201cwoke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concern first began when it was announced that actress Zendaya would be playing Greek goddess, Athena. Zendaya is mixed-race, while depictions of Athena show her to be a pale-skinned or sometimes olive-skinned woman matching the complexions of Greek culture. Other casting decisions that have brought on concerns were the announcement that John Leguizamo would play Odysseus\u2019s servant, Eumaeus. Leguizamo is of Columbian heritage and has criticized when Latino roles or other ethnic minority roles are portrayed by white actors. Rapper Travis Scott, who is black, has also been cast in the movie as the bard Demodocus. Nolan has compared rap to the oral history that perpetuated The Odyssey <\/em>throughout history. To date, not a single member of the cast has any Greek heritage.<\/p>\n

The most concerning castings, however, have been that of Kenyan-Mexican born Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page, formerly actress Ellen Page who has now transitioned into a man. Helen of Troy in Homer\u2019s epic The Iliad <\/em>is described as \u201cwhite-armed\u201d and \u201cgolden-haired.\u201d She is also described as the most beautiful woman in the word, sparking the Trojan War, which takes The Odyssey\u2019s <\/em>Odysseus from his home for 10 years before being lost at sea during his return home for the plot of The Odyssey<\/em>. Page was initially rumored to be playing Achilles, which sparked severe outcry from fans over a woman playing one of history\u2019s fiercest warriors. Current reports state, however, that Page will play Sinon, a character that does not even appear in The Odyssey<\/em>. Trailers featuring both Page and Nyong\u2019o have been \u201cratioed\u201d by audiences per popular culture critic, Nerdrotic<\/a>, who has criticized Hollywood\u2019s \u201cwoke\u201d push for years.<\/p>\n

Other criticisms of the film have included historical inaccuracies of costuming and the use of modern vernacular like \u201cDad\u201d instead of \u201cFather.\u201d It\u2019s a strange move from Nolan who has a reputation for being meticulous with his work. Nolan, however, has stood behind his decisions<\/a>, calling the criticisms \u201cirrelevant.\u201d With the film due to debut this weekend, it leaves some fans wondering if the film will flop or, at the very least, underperform. Fans have accused Nolan of bowing to the woke mob. \u201cChris Nolan desecrated Homer and groveled on his knees just to meet the woke rules required to win an Oscar,\u201d wrote Elon Musk on X<\/a>. \u201cWhat a worm.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the most bankable directors in Hollywood has been raising some eyebrows with casting for what was supposed to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. Christopher Nolan has earned audiences\u2019 trust and admiration with films like \u201cInterstellar,\u201d his \u201cBatman\u201d trilogy, \u201cInception,\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d The announcement that he planned a big budget…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":51848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nChristopher Nolan\u2019s 'The Odyssey' Faces Backlash Over 'woke' Casting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christopher Nolan\u2019s The Odyssey faces backlash over casting choices as fans debate accuracy, woke concerns and box office risks.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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