SerpApi.Org
In a world where online backlash can be reactionary more than rational, Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya are choosing not to let the discourse surrounding their casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey define their performances.
Let’s set the scene: Imagine getting a call from the director asking you to play not one, but two of Greek mythology’s most iconic women. Nyong’o was cast in the dual roles of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, while Zendaya stepped into the role of the goddess Athena.
When the casting announcements were revealed in May 2026, social media quickly erupted over the casting choices, with some stating that “the face that launched 1,000 ships” role should have been cast with a different woman (i.e., a white woman).
Nyong’o never engaged with the backlash. Instead, she focused on the work. Ironically, her own journey to Greece for production echoed the epic voyage at the heart of the Greek poet Homer’s tale.
Throughout mythology, Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra have been interpreted in countless ways: victims, survivors, queens, women driven by impossible choices. Nyong’o embraces both characters with emotional depth, channeling grief, resilience and righteous fury.
Nyong’o has spoken instead about the honor of portraying two of mythology’s most fascinating women, sisters whose lives are forever shaped by war, betrayal and vengeance. She also gave full support to Nolan and his interpretation of the story.
Nolan has reportedly made it clear that Nyong’o was always his first choice to play the role, as he sought an actress capable of balancing vulnerability with commanding strength. It’s also far from the first time Nyong’o has played dual roles. Audiences watched her brilliantly portray both Adelaide and Red in Jordan Peele’s Us, showcasing her ability to create two completely distinct characters within the same film.
In interviews, Zendaya has also focused on how she’s shaped her character, approaching Athena through humanity, divinity, wisdom, patience and quiet authority.
The debate surrounding The Odyssey ultimately says less about Christopher Nolan’s casting decisions than it does about how audiences choose to interpret mythology itself. While mythology can be based on real events, its inhabitants are often exaggerated or fictionalized, as in the case of this film’s characters. In addition, “race” rarely refers to its modern definition in these stories; instead, it describes a type of people by class and ability, with some having distinct supernatural powers.
Nolan has long embraced reinterpretation across his filmography, whether reimagining Batman or adapting historical events through his own cinematic lens. For him, The Odyssey is no different—it’s an adaptation of fictionalized people, meaning there should be no rules on who plays them.
Rather than recreating mythology as audiences have always imagined it, Nolan appears more interested in exploring the emotional truths of Nyong’o and Zendaya’s legendary figures than their previous visual representations. It should be noted that he has also taken notable creative liberties throughout the adaptation, expanding relationships and reshaping familiar moments from Homer’s epic to fit his cinematic vision.
If audiences have accepted decades of reinterpretations of Shakespeare and other notable authors over time, it’s curious that Greek mythology suddenly becomes fixed whenever Black actors are involved. Mythology has survived precisely because every generation reshapes it for its own moment.
Now, this isn’t the first time Black performers have entered the world of Greek mythology. Helen of Troy was previously portrayed by Eartha Kitt in an avant-garde Paris stage production in the 1950s. And countless theater companies have embraced color-conscious casting across classical works.
Nolan’s The Odyssey has little to do with the erasure of mythology, but should be viewed as a work of continued evolution. Myths endure because they evolve. Nolan understands that. Nyong’o and Zendaya prove it.
Hollywood should continue giving Black and other performers opportunities to inhabit the world’s most enduring literary figures because great actors deserve great roles.
In The Odyssey, Nyong’o and Zendaya are creating imagery that allows us all to experience and interpret mythological origins in new, exciting ways. And that should always come across on screen.
The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17.
