Lupita Nyong’o, The Odyssey & A Race War Over Helen Of Troy

It’s one of the oldest and most dramatic tales in Ancient Greek mythology: poet Homer’s epic, the Odyssey. A story of love, war and the defying lengths some will go for both, we’ll soon see it adapted once again for Hollywood with the big screen release of The Odyssey, retold through the mind of Christoper Nolan.

With a $250 million budget, A-list casting and the first-ever movie shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film cameras, many are expecting it to be a summer 2026 blockbuster. However, the important and highly-coveted casting of Helen of Troy is causing more controversy than expected due to a Black actress occupying the role.

It’s been recently revealed that Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o will play dual roles as both Helen and her sister Clytemnestra.

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As you can tell by the recent back-and-forth between Elon Musk and Alec Baldwin (seen above), not everyone was thrilled by the idea of Helen being portrayed as Black given the European origins of the story itself. In the adaptations seen so far, the role of ‘The Most Beautiful Woman In The World’ went to Italian actress Rossana Podestà in 1956 (Helen of Troy), Greek actress Irene Papas in 1971 (The Trojan Women), English actress Sienna Guillory in the titular 2003 miniseries and most notably by German actress Diane Kruger in 2004 (Troy).

Lupita would not only bring some diversity to an already multicultural ensemble — Zendaya, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel and Will Yun Lee all have prominent roles as well — we also think it would show a different side to the open-ended definition of what it means to be beautiful.

We’ll see how Lupita Nyong’o fares in playing the woman at the center of the Trojan War, otherwise known as “the face that launched a thousand ships,” when The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17. We personally think her proven skills as an award-winning leading lady will lead to success, but let us know your thoughts on the rising debate.

Take a look below at what some are saying on the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy in the upcoming film adaptation of The Odyssey:

1. They really set up Lupita by casting her as Helen of Troy she might never know peace.. They are already cooking her on Reddit

via @droid254

2. For the record, I think Lupita Nyong’o is incredibly beautiful. I mean she has a nearly perfect face. The issue is that Helen of Troy was Greek and described as fair and Musk is almost certainly correct that Nolan changed her race to fulfill the new diversity standards the Academy requires. And we should whine about that. It’s death to art.

via @megbasham

3. There is zero reason to be upset about Helen of Troy being cast as a black woman. Except racism. There is no “historical accuracy” in a myth. Helen is not a real person. The requirements for Helen are to be extraordinarily beautiful and that more than describes Lupita.

via @KatinOxford

4. My 2 cents on the Lupita Nyong’o Odyssey debate: I think Christopher Nolan set Lupita Nyong’o up by casting her as Helen of Troy. This was always going to create controversy because Helen is one of the most iconic figures in Greek mythology. It’s similar to how many Black people would react if a white actor was cast to play Shaka Zulu or Nelson Mandela. People become protective over historical and cultural figures they strongly associate with their identity. In my opinion race swapping in stories so tied to a specific culture can sometimes feel forced and ends up creating unnecessary backlash, division and even racism instead of focusing on the actual performance.

via @sadmethod

5. Helen of Troy is supposed to be stunningly beautiful so Lupita passes that test with flying colors

via @ladidaix

6. lupita as helen of troy is amazing casting like yes i would believe that this is the face that launched a thousand ships

via @R0SYLNS

7. Lupita IS Helen of Troy……COPE bitċhes!

via @nikangel39

8. They mad that Lupita playing Helen of Troy, but where was this outrage when they had Christian Bale, a white man, playing Moses. Or when white actors play ancient Egyptians?

via @ItsLaDarrion

9. Lupita Nyong’o is good casting for Helen of Troy because she does have a beauty that seems just a little otherworldly. I could definitely buy that she was born from a magic egg.

via @agraybee

10. “Lupita Nyong’o can’t be Helen of Troy!!! 😡😡😡” Oh really? Cuz it made you super mad and ready to fight over her, and that’s kind of Helen’s whole thing.

via @TheAndrewNadeau