Nolan defends ‘The Odyssey’ casting choices after backlash over Travis Scott, Lupita Nyong’o

Director Christopher Nolan is pushing back against online critics who have taken aim at casting decisions in his upcoming summer epic “The Odyssey,” arguing that his choices reflect both artistic intent and a deep reverence for Homer’s source material.

The film, which opens July 17, has drawn scrutiny in recent days after a new trailer renewed debate over two picks in particular: rapper Travis Scott, who plays a bard, and actress Lupita Nyong’o, who is Black, cast as Helen of Troy. Speaking with TIME in a wide-ranging profile, Mr. Nolan said Scott’s presence is meant to honor the oral tradition at the heart of Homer’s work.

“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Mr. Nolan said.

The $250 million production — the most expensive of Nolan’s career — stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and rounds out its ensemble with Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus and Benny Safdie as Agamemnon. It is also the first film Mr. Nolan has shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras. 

Some of the online criticism has been rooted in misinformation, including unverified rumors that actor Elliot Page was cast as Achilles. Mr. Nolan addressed the casting controversy in the TIME interview by drawing a parallel to his approach on “Interstellar,” where he enlisted scientists to push the limits of plausible speculation.

“For ’Interstellar,’ you’re looking at: What is the best speculation of the future? When you’re looking at the ancient past, it’s actually the same thing,” Mr. Nolan said. “What is the best speculation, and how can I use that to create a world?”

He added that he consulted a team of experts in crafting the film’s ancient setting, and that he expects some disagreement. “Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything,” he said. “We had a lot of scientists complain about ’Interstellar.’ But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”

Mr. Damon, making his third collaboration with Mr. Nolan after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer,” said in the same profile that the director balanced faithfulness to Homer with fresh psychological depth. “He’s very faithful to Homer because that’s not somebody you rewrite. But thematically, what he looked at was really interesting,” Damon said.

Critics on social media questioned whether the casting choices fit the mythological world of ancient Greece, with some calling the decision “pretentious” and accusing the film of prioritizing modern celebrity appeal over historical or cultural authenticity. Elon Musk weighed in earlier this year, writing on X that Mr. Nolan “has lost his integrity” over Ms. Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy. 

Time magazine writer Eliana Dockterman, in the profile, described Mr. Nolan’s fluency with the source material as closer to a scholar than a filmmaker.

“Comparing Emily Wilson, E.V. Rieu, and Robert Fagles translations of ’The Odyssey,’ I feel less like I’m interviewing a director than sitting in office hours with a particularly approachable professor,” she wrote, adding that Mr. Nolan “has studied the period” and that “the film is aware of its historical moment.”