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Lupita Nyong’o is giving her perspective on the toxic online criticism of the Oscar winner playing Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.
In a new profile in Elle, the actress was asked about the blowback among predominantly right-wing pundits who have contended the Black actress shouldn’t play “the most beautiful woman in the world” in Universal’s big-budget take on Homer’s classic fable.
First, Nyong’o reminds readers “this is a mythological story” — not, as its often been characterized, some sort of historical drama.
“I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling,” she said. “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. … It’s quite something to be a part of The Odyssey, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time. … I was so deeply honored to be entrusted with the role.”
