Khaberni - The American billionaire Elon Musk has caused a wide wave of controversy and anger in cinematic circles, after his public criticism of global director Christopher Nolan's choices in his new movie "The Odyssey", believing that Nolan "lost his artistic integrity" because of the decision to cast actress Lupita Nyong'o as "Helen of Troy".
The crisis began after reports circulated that Lupita Nyong'o would play Helen in the anticipated film, sparking a broad discussion among the audience, before the debate intensified sharply after Musk's intervention on the "X" platform, where he reposted a comment criticizing the choice, accompanied by a brief statement saying that "Christopher Nolan has lost his integrity".
The original comment was based on the depiction of "Helen of Troy" traditionally in Western literature and art as blonde and fair-skinned, considering that changing this image "loses the story its coherence and is an insult to the author", according to the post's author.
However, opposing reactions came quickly and strongly, emphasizing that "The Odyssey" is a mythical work and not a historical document, affirming that there is no historical evidence proving Helen's existence in the first place, and that beauty in myths is a symbolic concept not connected to skin color or specific features.
Some critics went as far as mocking the ongoing debate, pointing out that the Greek myth itself includes fantastical elements, most notably that Helen is the daughter of the god Zeus, who according to mythological accounts, transformed into a swan to conceive her with a human woman, leading her to later be born from an egg, considering that questioning the realism of casting a particular actress appears inconsistent with the nature of the story itself.
The debate has also raised questions about the concept of "artistic integrity" that Musk used in his criticism, where a segment of the audience believes that integrity means adhering to the classical images passed down for characters, while others believe that the essence of the myth lies in its grand ideas such as beauty, desire, conflict, and destruction, and not in superficial details.
This controversy comes at a time when Nolan is preparing to launch one of the biggest projects of his career, as the film "The Odyssey" is considered the largest production in his career, with a budget estimated at about 250 million dollars, and it is also the first film to be completely shot using "IMAX" cameras.
The film features a large cast of stars, including Matt Damon as "Odysseus", Anne Hathaway as "Penelope", and Tom Holland as "Telemachus", along with Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.
A recent teaser also revealed the participation of rapper Travis Scott in his first acting experience, which did not stir as much controversy as the casting of the actress for the role of Helen.
It is noted that Elon Musk is known for his critical positions on what he describes as "ideological diversity policies" in Hollywood, and he has previously called for a boycott of "Netflix" because of its content, leading many to consider his attack on Nolan as an extension of his previous stances, but directing the criticism this time at one of the most successful directors in Hollywood has heightened the reaction.
