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Whoopi Goldberg is not interested in Elon Musk’s take on Lupita Nyong’o’s potential role in The Odyssey.
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Goldberg, 70, criticized Musk, 54, during an episode of The View, after the Tesla CEO amplified racist backlash that Nyong’o, 42, has been cast as the mythological character Helen of Troy in filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem.
Musk, who owns the social media platform X, responded to a post on Jan. 31 regarding rumors that Nyong’o will portray that character in the movie. “Casting choices that make the premise incoherent are admissions that the story was never the point and an insult to the author,” a user wrote, complaining that the Oscar winner is not an appropriate choice for the role.
“Chris Nolan has lost his integrity,” Musk wrote of the 55-year-old director in a post that received 25,000 likes.
On the daytime talk show, Goldberg pushed back, explaining that “Musk claims that Nolan has ‘lost his integrity,’ you know, because Homer described this fictional character as a fair-skinned blonde who was so beautiful that men started a war over her.”
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“I don’t know if you realize this, Lupita is also considered one of the wold’s most beautiful women,” she continued, addressing the entrepreneur directly. “So I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. You don’t have to actually go to the movie. I don’t know why you feel like you need to speak on this.”
“And I would suggest looking in a mirror if you have any concerns about people’s looks, if this is where we’re going,” the comedian continued. “And don’t bother to try to clown me, baby — I know what I look like. There’s so many things I want to say to you that are rude and awful, but I won’t do it. But know that I’m thinking it!”
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The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Nyong’o would appear in The Odyssey back in November 2024. The Us star’s role in the movie has not been confirmed, and she has not yet appeared in any of the official trailers or teasers released for the movie.
Helen of Troy, a character more commonly associated with Homer’s The Illiad, appears in Homer’s Odyssey in one scene with the character Telemachus. (Matt Damon stars in The Odyssey as Odysseus, while Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus.)
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On The View, Goldberg also told Musk that he should “just sit down” over the matter. “When it comes to artistic stuff, go sit down please,” she said.
The upcoming saga is one of the year’s most-anticipated movies. The live-action adaptation, which tells the tale of Odysseus’ 10-years-long journey to his home in Ithaca, Greece, from the Trojan War after winning the conflict, also stars Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo and Robert Pattinson.
The Odyssey is in theaters July 17.
