Christopher Nolan has brushed aside months of online criticism over casting choices in “The Odyssey,” telling The Telegraph that pre-release commentary about a film carries little weight before anyone has actually seen it.
“These conversations that happen before people see the film — they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet,” Nolan said. He compared the reaction to the scrutiny he faced directing his Batman trilogy, saying the controversy “comes with the territory” of adapting a major piece of source material.
The backlash centers largely on Nolan’s decision to cast Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as the warrior Sinon, along with musician Travis Scott in a supporting role. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk criticized Nyong’o’s casting on social media in January, writing that Nolan had “lost his integrity,” and later claimed the director had prioritized diversity over faithfulness to the source material.
Commentator Matt Walsh made similar remarks targeting Nyong’o. Additional criticism has focused on modern-sounding dialogue in the film’s trailer — including Tom Holland’s character referring to his father as “dad” — as well as the armor and costume design, which some viewers likened to Batman’s suit.
Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, has previously responded to the criticism by noting that the source material is mythological rather than historical. “Our cast is representative of the world,” she said. “I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”
Nolan has also defended specific design choices, telling Time earlier this year that the blackened bronze armor worn by Benny Safdie’s Agamemnon reflects documented ancient metalworking techniques meant to signal the character’s wealth and status relative to other figures in the story.
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“The Odyssey” carries a reported $250 million budget and features an ensemble cast that includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, along with Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron. The film opens in theaters July 17 through Universal Pictures, with reviews from critics who have already screened it reported as largely positive.
