Lupita Nyong’o has broken her silence in response to harsh criticism for her role as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Some of that criticism came from Elon Musk.
“You can’t play beauty,” the actress told Elle about the backlash to her role as “the most beautiful woman in the world” in a profile published Thursday.
“I want to know who the characters are. What’s beyond beauty? What’s beyond appearances? That’s what it means to do a famous text like this that’s been studied and interpreted and derived from,” she continued.
“The research can never end. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it gets published,” she added of the acclaimed director.
“The investigation begins with the page you were given. I based my investigation on that page.”
Nyong’o, 43, also reminded readers that the Homeric epics are “mythological stories” rather than historical accounts.
“I’m very supportive of Chris’ intentions and the version of this story that he’s telling,” the “All Night” actress told the magazine, adding that “the cast is representative of the world.”
“I’m not spending my time thinking about defenses,” she explained. “There will be criticism whether I engage in it or not.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the model said, “I’m so happy to be a part of ‘The Odyssey’ because it’s such an epic movie. It spans the world. That’s why this cast is like this. We’re carrying this epic story of our time.”
After the details of the cast for Universal’s blockbuster movie directed by director “Oppenheimer” were announced, there was a lot of criticism online.
Musk slammed X earlier this year for the decision to cast Nyong’o as both Helen of Troy and Helen’s sister Clytemnestra. “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity,” he wrote in January.
And in early May, the Tesla CEO agreed with a conservative commentator’s suggestion that Nolan would be branded a racist if he gave the role to a white woman.
Another X user criticized the Academy Awards for introducing diversity requirements, writing that Musk “The Dark Knight” director “wants the award.”
Alec Baldwin fired back at Musk on Instagram: “Dear Elon…but she’s the most beautiful woman in the world…Alec.”
Late-night TV giant Jimmy Kimmel also slammed him in a recent monologue, saying Musk should “stay in[his]lane.”
Meanwhile, manager Nolan stands by his decision. “Strength and poise were very important to Helen’s character, and Lupita makes it look effortless,” he told the magazine.
“I’m sure it took a tremendous amount of discipline and training to express that kind of poise and feel the emotions welling up beneath the character, the layers of the character underneath.”
He concluded, “She’s a really great person to work with and I absolutely wanted her to play this role.”
