Christopher Nolan defended the casting of Lupita Nyong-Oh and Travis Scott in “The Odyssey,” saying critics judged the film before seeing his full vision unfold.
Lupita Nyong’o and Travis Scott are getting attention for their roles in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming “The Odyssey,” but the legendary director isn’t backing down on his casting decisions.
The backlash to the film has been intense since it was announced, with everyone from Elon Musk to conservative commentator Matt Walsh criticizing Nolan’s choice.
Nyong’o generated the most controversy in her dual role as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra. Musk claimed Nolan “wanted the awards” and accused him of swapping racial roles in order to qualify for an Oscar.
Walsh was more scathing, saying “no one on the planet truly thinks Lupita Nyong’o is the most beautiful woman in the world” and calling Nolan a “coward” for the casting.
Nolan told The Telegraph that these early conversations were “irrelevant” because critics of the film haven’t actually seen it yet.
“With the territory,” he said. “But you see, these conversations that happen before people see the movie, they’re always irrelevant because no one knows what the movie is yet.”
The director draws on his decade of experience filming the Batman trilogy to delve deeper into his reasoning.
Nolan specifically recalled the skepticism surrounding Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker.
At the time, Ledger was known for romantic comedies like “10 Things I Hate About You” and “A Knight’s Tale,” and fans questioned his ability to play the iconic villain.
Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Nolan added: “Ultimately, fans of the work, even if we did some things they wouldn’t have done, enjoyed the sincerity with which we tried to bring the best possible version to the screen.”
Regarding Travis Scott specifically, Nolan explained his reasoning in an interview with Time magazine.
“I chose him because I wanted to buy into the idea of the story being passed down as oral poetry, which is similar to rap,” Nolan said.
Following the backlash online, the film’s official social media accounts restricted comments.
The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron and Elliot Page as the Greek soldier Sinon.
The film’s ambitious scale reflects Nolan’s commitment to bringing one of literature’s greatest stories to the screen while retaining his own vision.
The Odyssey is set to hit theaters on July 17, and Nolan has made it clear he won’t be making any changes based on pre-release noise.
