Did Conservatives Jump the Gun on ‘The Odyssey?’
Christopher Nolan's casting choices sparked culture war rage on Right
Director Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey,” created the kind of cultural buzz few films can deliver.
Be careful what you wish for, as a wise soul once said.
Said buzz started months ago, and it hasn’t let up in the days leading up to the film’s release date – July 17.
Much of it centered on the film’s cast. Few complained about Matt Damon as Odysseus, the tortured hero at the center of the story. No, the kerfuffle erupted around two performers in the large ensemble.
Lupita Nyong’o and Elliot Page.
Nyong’o is an Oscar-winner, but she’s playing a character typically portrayed by white actresses – Helen of Troy.
We knew nothing about the character brought to life by Page, a trans performer, for the last few months. That didn’t stop social media voices from declaring Page would portray Achilles, a figure known for his warrior prowess.
Page is five-foot-one and, to be frank, doesn’t present as physically intimidating.
Did it matter that we didn’t know what role Page would play until recently? Apparently not, if you listened to the web-based squawking over the casting decision.
Much of the noise has come from the cultural Right. Think The Critical Drinker, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh and others.
The Odyssey Looks Awful. Here’s Whyhttps://t.co/Wt34srUTAU
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 13, 2026
Now, with the film set for a global release, it’s time to ask the obvious question.
Did conservatives shoot themselves in the foot, or did they bring up valid points about the production?
The answer is easy. Both.
Casting calls took on a decidedly woke edge in recent years. Gender swaps. Race swaps. Some casting decisions happened for diversity reasons above all else.
It’s one thing for “Hamilton” to radically shake up the usual casting choices. That was partially creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creative point. America is a melting pot, and the nation’s founders didn’t reflect that at the time. They still paved the way for the diversity we see all around us now.
Other recent casting decisions felt forced, inorganic. We suddenly sat through period pieces where the on-screen diversity took us right out of the story.
That’s a mistake.
Nolan has built a career and reputation for putting story first. His 2012 superhero epic “The Dark Knight Returns” rejected early woke-ism while portraying the Occupy Wall Street movement as cruel and corrupt.
How could that Nolan succumb to woke casting decisions? The cultural Right felt confused, if not betrayed.
Still, assuming Page’s role before it became clear proved a mistake. Conservatives still struggle in the pop culture arena, so an unforced error is a terrible look.
So is decrying Nyong’o as not being beautiful enough to play a woman whose “face launched a thousand ships.” The actress is undeniably attractive, even if some may find her less beguiling than others.
That’s true of any actress. Beauty, like art, can be subjective.
To make matters worse, some used awkward freeze-frame images of Nyong’o to suggest she wasn’t beautiful enough for the part, another clumsy attempt to push that narrative forward.
The Right’s pushback on Page’s casting made more sense.
The slight performer doesn’t conjure heroism on an epic scale. Page’s trans activism makes the actor’s appearance distracting, something a period piece should work to avoid at all costs.
Some movie goers also struggle to watch Sean Penn or Jane Fonda due to their extreme off-camera activism.
Nolan deserves a little blame here, too. He ignored the Achilles rumors for far too long, when he could have easily explained them away months ago. More recently, he shared how he downplayed the culture war squabbles over the film, focusing on the movie first and foremost.
Christopher Nolan Says ‘Odyssey’ Backlash Over Casting and More Is ‘Irrelevant’ and He’s Learned Not to Worry: ‘Remember, I Spent 10 Years Dealing With Batman’ https://t.co/21AhMaGDuF
— Variety (@Variety) July 10, 2026
That’s smart, on paper, but it’s also dismissing those who genuinely want “The Odyssey” to soar.
For every rabble rouser looking to start a fact-free fight over “The Odyssey,” there are others who want the best out of Hollywood and are frustrated by what the’ve seen of late.
They deserve to be treated with respect by the industry. When they’re shut out, ignored or just called racist, everybody loses.
And that only pours more fuel on the next culture war clash.
Toto continues to expose himself and his jealousy of the Drinker and his audience. An audience that checked out this slop writer and discarded him along with the other grifters that change their views rapidly if they think it will get them more clicks. Toto is bought and paid for but he isnt going to further his reach beyond corporate shilling and this article represents that growing fact.
I love The Critical Drinker. Have had him on my podcast. He’s the best. No one pays me a nickel for my views, but I wouldn’t mind the offer! Other than that, you got me!
Gee, if you have the time to waste to go see this, and the $$$ to shell out, I would recommend that you instead buy (and read) the book. Go get yourself some great food, and some retsina to enjoy with it. You will then understand the brilliance of The Odyssey, and Homer’s mind.
This film will will have the same historical, and social impact as guardians of the galaxy. The casting will land this film on the refuse pile of history. Whereas the book has been taught, and examined for hundreds of years, adding to the culture of the western world.
BTW I heard a rumor that the director is going to make a movie about Lief Erickson … with Chris Tucker in the lead.
IF this was a PARODY then it would still suck! Parodies have to be FUNNY, not just “provocative”!
But, Hollywood is a place of MAKE BELIEVE! I remember watching movies with my little six year old Grandson and when something magical or completely unreal happened he’s say “Papa , how do they do that”? And I’d say “It’s a movie – it’s not real”!
I’ll bet many people didn’t see the absolutely ridiculousness in the “little person, Mr. Dinklege, being some kind of “warrior” and armed with an appropriately sized sward! Anyone who has ever just put his hand on a small person and held them back knows that a NORMAL size WARRIOR with a NORMAL size sword would have created TWO “half little people warriors” in any fight!
People have the right to make just about anything these days and people can buy a ticket and watch it – doesn’t appear there are that many who believe in the parody of “The ODDITY”!
The whole thing is miscast, and using American accents and dialog like “Daddy” is sort of strange. The Page role is ridiculous no matter how one tries to justify it. And she’s out there now piping off pre-movie release with gender psychobabble. You’d think these directors would know by know to avoid casting weirdo’s who have a history of running their mouths and insulting normal people.
Hmmmm…what would happen, do you imagine, if Danny Devito was cast to play Martin Luther King Jr. or Muhammed Ali?
Outrage? Nah…the left is too sophisticated for outrage. 😉
This entire thing is ridiculous. We are not hateful and/or racist for noticing the dumbassery. A story about blacks in a subsahara setting should be all black actors. duh. A story set in Asia (say like, Mulan) should be all Asians. We all love Dances with Wolves and Apocalypto and Brave Heart and appreciate white actors portraying Scots and brown actors portraying Sioux and Mayans. Putting a black woman as Helen of Troy is ridiculous. And a story about manly adventures and continuous peril and warfare from the most extreme ‘warlike people’ shouldn’t have a 90 lb girl pretending to be a man. It’s ridiculous and intentional to be provocative.
Great assessment! But, there are people who just LIVE for that kind of insanity! They’re proving it by putting butts in the seats at theaters! Oh yeah – never mind!
Lame. Lame article defending lame, Woke virtue signaling garbage.
I appreciate your attempt at nuance here, but you skipped over perhaps the biggest thing that people like Critical Drinker are actually upset about: that a Black actress can get cast as a white character and lauded by the entertainment establishment, but if anyone dared try it the other way around, they’d be blacklisted faster than you could say “McCarthy”. It’s not Nyong’o herself that’s a problem; she’s a delightful actress. It’s what her casting symbolizes. That hypocrisy falls on Nolan, and even more so on the cultural progressives who level insults and threats when it’s even suggested that we do the things they do all the time.
Perfectly said! I would also add to play into some sort of made up contention that Nyongo wasn’t attractive enough was never a point of contention ( looks like the author wanted to race it up a bit), it was that it wax a Greek epic, and Greeks ( albeit olive skinned) are not black.
Once I heard that this film was not going to be historically accurate, I became indifferent, not enraged.
What was the point of this article? Have you seen the movie? Did you get a nice check with a large sum of money to throw the right under the bus. The right is sick of woke movies with woke casting choices. This movie is both those things. The right always fails because they never stand by anything when the money comes in. Look how many on the right put their values aside to promote Animal Farm. Morals and values only count if you can’t be bought, which obviously you can be.
The problem is those two casting choices are so radical, they stand out. Every minute they are on screen, the audience will be taken out of the movie and think of the controversy. It will just destroy the narrative. You won’t be in the story, you will realize you are in a theater and watching actors.
So Elliot Page is the greatest warrior ever?
Didn’t want to get into spoiler territory (yet) but that line is the biggest joke of the film!