Lupita Nyong’o Doesn’t Need to Defend Her Odyssey Casting

No matter what idiot fanboys say, and whether or not they’re billionaires, Lupita Nyong’o is not going to waste time defending her casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The actress has faced racism and bad-faith criticism since being cast as Helen of Troy, but she’s not interested in that narrative. In her new Elle cover story, she reminds everybody who is angry that “this is a mythological story.” “I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling,” she told the magazine. “Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.” She then elaborated on the vastness of the film, which also stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Elliot Page, Zendaya, and Robert Pattinson among others. “It’s quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand,” she said. “It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time.”

For his part, Nolan is thrilled to be working with his first choice for the role. “The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen,” he told the magazine. “And Lupita makes it look effortless. 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.” What’s the ancient Grecian equivalent of a mic drop?