“Is it possible for a black actress to play Helen of Troy?” The new question dividing the Internet may be “technically” new, as it has arisen in recent days due to the highly anticipated cinematic adaptation of The Odyssey by Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan. In essence, however, it is nothing more than a repetition of the same debate, which resurfaces each time with a different pretext.
It all started when news leaked that Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o would portray Helen of Troy in a film with a $250 million budget, scheduled to premiere on July 17, 2026. And that she would share the set with Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Tom Holland as Telemachus.
Shots Fired at the Director
Within hours, X [Twitter] “erupted.” Users argued that Helen was white and blonde and that such a casting choice was an insult to Homer. As supporters of the poet multiplied their attacks on the director and his choices, a post by the platform’s owner Elon Musk—“Chris Nolan has lost his integrity”—was enough to escalate a casting decision into an acute cultural conflict.
On one side were those who argue that Homer may not provide an exact description of Helen, so as not to limit the audience’s imagination in shaping her according to their own standards of beauty. Yet, one of the four adjectives he uses when referring to her (kallikomos, kalliparios, leukolenos, and tanypeplos—meaning beautiful-haired and -faced, white-skinned, and well-dressed) leaves little room for her racial origin.
On the other side are those who claim that Helen is a mythical figure and, since there is no historical evidence of her existence, there should be no restrictions on her appearance.
There are two details that, though they went largely unnoticed, are very interesting. First, the debate rages without official confirmation that this particular actress plays the controversial role. Second, another leak suggests she might play Clytemnestra, which, apparently, has not concerned prospective viewers. It should also be noted that a year ago, rumors circulated that the multi-award-winning Kenyan actress would appear as the goddess Athena in the same film—rumors that were never confirmed either.
“Epic” Battles
And while The Odyssey naturally justifies “epic” battles, similar disputes arise whenever a black actor is cast to play a hero who, either traditionally, as described by the author, or because they were a historical figure whose image is known, would be expected to be white.
One recent example involved Cleopatra. In the 2023 Netflix series Queen Cleopatra, the titular role was played by half-Jamaican Adele James, provoking an outcry. The series recorded a historic low audience approval (3%) for the platform, while the Egyptian government openly condemned the documentary, claiming it distorted Egyptian history.
Rakie Ayola, of Sierra Leonean and Nigerian descent, was chosen to play Persephone in the series KAOS (2024), which did not achieve significant success on Netflix, so no second season was produced.
In 2018, black actor David Gyasi portrayed Achilles in the BBC series Troy: Fall of a City, while Zeus was played by Nigerian-born Hakim Kay-Kazim. Both choices drew criticism.
Historical Figures and Fairy Tale Heroines
Directors may attempt to experiment with how they depict certain gods and heroes of Greek mythology. However, historical figures have also been presented differently from what historical sources suggest, such as Anne Boleyn, who in the 2021 Channel 5 series was portrayed as black by Jamaican-born actress Jodie Turner-Smith.
Similarly, fairy tale heroines, whose names leave no doubt about their appearance—such as Snow White—have been reimagined. For instance, in 2025, Mark Webb cast half-Nigerian Rachel Zegler as the iconic fairy tale heroine, whose mother, according to the Brothers Grimm’s original German story, wished for her to be “white as snow.”
