Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
‘Odyssey’ Star Lupita Nyong’o Brutally Roasted Over The “Woke” Question She Says She’d Ask Homer
Lupita Nyong’o has found herself in hot water over a comment she made about the ancient Greek author Homer.
The actress plays Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra, in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
In 2013, she famously portrayed an enslaved woman named Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, a role that earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
RELATED:
Highlights
- Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ is being mocked over her remarks about the ancient Greek epic.
- The 43-year-old actress questioned Homer, the poet credited with writing the epic, about the role he gave to its female characters.
- It comes after Nyong'o defended herself against the backlash surrounding her casting as the daughter of Zeus.
Lupita Nyong’o has come under fire over her comment about Homer and her upcoming film The Odyssey
Image credits: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Now, she’s back on the big screen alongside an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.
While promoting The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, Nyong’o was asked what she would say to the poet if she could meet him today.
“So, Homer, how do you feel about the screen time given to these women, considering how little you spent with them?” she said on the Jake’s Takes YouTube channel. “Remember us?”
Image credits: mynerdyhome/X
Social media users mocked the 43-year-old actress over the remark, noting that she had previously admitted she was unfamiliar with the Odysseywhen she first met Nolan about his film adaptation.
“She received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama and knew nothing of The Odyssey going in,” one X user wrote.
“It was the men who went to war and to sea back then, so why would Homer think about the women’s perspective? Silly,” another comment read.
“She is talking about Homer Simpson right!” one user joked. “Because she clearly stated that she knew nothing about the Greek author Homer.”
Nyong’o faced backlash over her remarks about the female characters in the ancient Greek epic
Has the ability to ask Homer a single question- proceeds to lecture…😒 pic.twitter.com/ISh24efcA4
— Steph Anie (@mynerdyhome) July 6, 2026
Some people compared her remarks to Rachel Zegler’s 2025 Snow White press tour, during which Zegler was criticized for calling the original Disney film “extremely dated” and saying that the prince “stalked” Snow White.
One person called her question “woke,” while another wrote, “The audacity to complain about screen time in someone else’s story.”
Image credits: Disney
Image credits: pneuma36
Image credits: the_lonelywhale
The Odyssey,one of the oldest surviving works of literature, follows Odysseus (also known as Ulysses), the king of Ithaca, on his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.
During his voyage from Troy to Ithaca, Odysseus encounters numerous perils that threaten him and his crew, including turbulent seas and mythical creatures.
The heroic king is presumed lifeless because of his long absence, leaving his loyal wife Penelope and son Telemachus to contend with a group of suitors competing for her hand in marriage.
The Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem, tells the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War
Image credits: Universal Pictures
Though the poem focuses primarily on Odysseus’s journey home, women and enslaved people play more prominent roles than they do in many other surviving works of ancient literature. The Trojan War itself is also sparked by the abduction of Helen of Troy, a woman.
Speaking with Elle magazine in May, Nyong’o admitted that she “went in quite blind” when meeting Christopher Nolan about The Odyssey.
“I really had no idea what the Odyssey was,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, snap, I don’t know the first thing about this.’ So it was a crash course. I picked up the books and read them immediately. I have this film to thank for my Greek mythological education.”
Image credits: Universal Pictures
In an interview with DC Film Girl, Nyong’o praised the acclaimed filmmaker for giving female characters more prominent roles than they had in the ancient poem.
“What Chris is interested in in this film is investigating the cost of war. And when you read the Iliad and the Odyssey, very little time is spent in the perspective of the women,” she said.
“It’s told from a very masculine side of things. But this film takes time to really consider things from the female perspective. And so we see in Helen and Clytemnestra how this war has affected them both.”
The actress, who plays Helen of Troy, revealed she had “no idea” about the story when she met Christopher Nolan
Image credits: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Image credits: Universal Pictures
Image credits: nullcast357
Image credits: taffytude
Her casting as Helen of Troy has also sparked a culture war, with critics including Elon Musk claiming that it’s wrong to cast a Black actress in the role.
The tech billionaire took to X to accuse the British director of being “an anti-White racist” and of having “grossly insulted the Greek people.”
Nolan won two Oscars in 2024 for his previous film, Oppenheimer, and has also directed acclaimed movies including Dunkirk, Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight.
Nyong’o has also faced criticism over her casting as Helen
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Responding to the criticism surrounding her casting, Nyong’o asked people to remember that the Odyssey “is a mythological story.”
“I’m very supportive of Chris’s intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world,” she said.
The Oscar winner added, “I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”
Image credits: Oscars
The nearly 3,000-year-old tale remains one of the most studied, adapted, and parodied stories ever, with adaptations including the 1911 silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro, 1954’s Ulysses, and the 2000 Coen brothers comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Nolan’s adaptation of the ancient Greek epic, his 13th feature film, arrives in theaters on July 17.
Many social media users blasted Lupita Nyong’o over her comments about the Odyssey
Image credits: Silver_Suntan
Image credits: StuxnetTypeBeat
Image credits: WilmoreStandard
Image credits: Bunneechan
Image credits: Ziyas_Lost
Image credits: DavidCantone
Image credits: ButternutTaco
Image credits: RonaldDean824
Image credits: CopterSled
Image credits: CarterJohnX
Image credits: jacktronprime
Image credits: willwparkinson
Image credits: himalaygswm
Image credits: bob92360813
Image credits: StacieGerbyo
Image credits: SlimWiggy
Image credits: Marky_Talks
Image credits: TimTheWitness
Image credits: AdamMill1981
Image credits: IterIntellectus
Image credits: Kakia_stigmi13
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
Binky Melnik 1 hour ago
Odysseus: “Screen time”? I don’t understand the question. What sort of time is “screen”?
Binky Melnik 1 hour ago
Odysseus: “Screen time”? I don’t understand the question. What sort of time is “screen”?
Related on Bored Panda
22
2