Director Christopher Nolan, known for 'Oppenheimer,' 'Interstellar,' and 'Dunkirk,' is about to release a new film adaptation of 'The Odyssey,' the Homeric epic. With an all-star cast and a major director behind the production, it seemed set to be a summer blockbuster.
But the run-up to release has been plagued by concerns over that casting, including a letter from the Greek City Times asking why not a single Greek actor was cast in a Greek epic. There are also concerns over the translation Nolan said he used as the basis for his film. That's the 2017 translation by British-American classicist Emily Wilson, which uses 'contemporary language that strips away archaic, patriarchal interpretations of the original text.' It's a way of saying this is a feminist interpretation of a male-dominated work.
And actress Lupita Nyong'o, who was cast as Helen of Troy, just proved this is a feminist retelling. Nyong'o was asked what she would say to Homer, and she decided to ask why he didn't give more screen time to women.
"What 1 thing would you say to Homer?"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 6, 2026
Lupita Nyong'o (Helen Of Troy): "How do you feel about the screen time given to women?"
pic.twitter.com/nYHziBDuSp
"I'd be like, 'So Homer, how do you feel about this screen time given to these women, considering how little you spent with them?' Okay," she said.
What a way to alienate your audience.
And Nyong'o should know better. She received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama.
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Lupita Nyong'o wants to know why Homer didn't give women more screen time in The Odyssey.
— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) July 6, 2026
She received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama. https://t.co/OJVCp8CaZH
Maybe she skipped class the day they covered 'The Odyssey' because she'd otherwise know there are a lot of women in the epic who helped Odysseus on his journey home.
OK. So Helen’s beauty sparks a war.
— Shawn Eni (@ShawnEni) July 6, 2026
Athena is a strategic goddess guiding Odysseus.
Penelope embodies clever loyalty.
Circe turns men into pigs, which frankly is still the most realistic female character arc in literature.
Calypso traps the hero on an island for seven years.… https://t.co/fbEzKN0BYY
Other female characters include Cassandra, the Sirens, Nausicaa, Andromache, Hecuba, Aphrodite, Hera, and Thetis. But other than that, no women at all.
Nyong'o also doesn't want to focus on Helen of Troy's beauty.
Lupita Nyong'o says it must have been “burdensome” for Helen of Troy to only be “known for her beauty.”
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 7, 2026
“My big question is who’s the woman behind the beauty? Because when that’s all you’re known for that must be burdensome.” pic.twitter.com/KXs9OkBLOZ
"The most iconic character I played is Helen of Troy," she said. "And she's known for her beauty. But my big question is who was the woman behind the beauty? You know, because when that's all you're known for, that must be burdensome."
Says the person who works in an industry that prizes looks above all else.
Will 'The Odyssey' flop? That's unlikely. Nolan still has a loyal fan base. However, this writer is laying down the marker now: the film will break even, at best. There's too much controversy, trailers are getting ratioed on YouTube, and now one of the lead actresses is going full-blown Rachel Zegler in the run-up to the premiere. This is how you lose audiences.
Editor’s Note: Hollywood, academia, and liberal elites are out of touch with the average American.
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