Lupita Nyong'o was recently confirmed to beplaying two rolesin Christopher Nolan's upcoming filmThe Odyssey.
Nyong'o will play Helen of Troy—the most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus (Jon Bernthal). The Oscar winner will also play Helen's sister, Clytemnestra, who is married to Menelaus' brother Agamemnon (Benny Safdie).
Following the confirmation of Nyong'o's dual roles, the casting sparked backlash online, with some questioning Nolan's decision to cast the actress as Helen of Troy.
Conservative commentator Matt Walshwrote on X, 'Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong'o is "the most beautiful woman in the world." But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave "the most beautiful woman" role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward.'
Nolan recently revealed why he cast Nyong'o as Helen of Troy.
The director, who previously addressedcomplaints about historical inaccuracies, toldELLEthat Nyong'o was always his choice to play Helen of Troy.
Lupita Nyong’o was always Christopher Nolan’s choice to play Helen of Troy in ‘THE ODYSSEY.’“The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. And Lupita makes it look effortless. […] She’s just an incredible person to work with, and I was absolutely…pic.twitter.com/owRpK0tEjq
'The strength and the poise were so important to the character of Helen. 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,' he said.
Calling the actress 'an incredible person to work with,' the director added, 'I was absolutely desperate for her to do the part.'
In an interview withELLE, Nyong'o addressed the criticism surrounding her casting.
Source: International Business Times UK
