fired back at criticism for her casting in 's forthcoming epic The Odyssey.
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Lupita Nyongo Backs Nolans Odyssey Casting Amid Criticism
Lupita Nyong'o fired back at criticism for her casting in Christopher Nolan's forthcoming epic The Odyssey.The Oscar-winning actress, 43, responded to the backl...
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The Oscar-winning actress, 43, responded to the backlash regarding her casting as Helen of Troy and, particularly, the unsolicited comments from .
She addressed being casted in the role equivalent to 'the most beautiful woman in the world' and defended the casting choice as well as her portrayal of the character.
She also reminded readers that Homer's epic 'is a mythological story' rather than a historical account in an Elle profile published on Thursday.
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The CEO also Elliot Page in The Odyssey.
However, and were two stars who came to the actors' and the filmmaker's defense.
Lupita Nyong'o defended her casting and her performance in The Odyssey amid backlash against director Christopher Nolan; pictured in November 2025
She responded to harsh criticism over her appearance after Nolan casted her as Helen of Troy, 'the most beautiful woman in the world,' in his forthcoming epic
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'You can't perform beauty,' she told the outlet. 'I want to know who a character is.'
She continued: 'What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That's the thing about doing such a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from.
'Research could be endless. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it's on the page,' she said about working with the acclaimed director.
She reminded readers and moviegoers that Homer's epic 'is a mythological story' rather than a historical account in an Elle profile published on Thursday
She said she is 'very supportive of Chris's intention,' and Nolan also doubled down on his decision to cast the Oscar winner in the leading role; pictured in March 2024
He praised her 'strength and the poise' as well as her 'discipline and training' to portray the mythological character the way he envisioned; pictured in October 2024
Nolan also defended his decision and told Elle magazine: 'The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless.'
He continued: 'I'm sure there's a tremendous amount of discipline and training that goes into projecting that kind of poise and feeling the emotion bubbling beneath the character, the layers of the character right there underneath.
'She's just an incredible person to work with, and I was absolutely desperate for her to do the part,' he added.
