Lupita Nyong'o, Helen of Troy & The Hypocrisy of 'Historical Accuracy' in Hollywood

Why the Lupita Nyong'o Helen of Troy controversy exposes Hollywood hypocrisy: From White Jesus to Egyptian gods, accuracy only matters for Black actors.

What should be a non-issue has quickly devolved into ugly Internet discourse about race and historical accuracy, flawed as the latter is. 

Elon Musk says Christopher Nolan "has lost his integrity." The crime? Rumoured casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy in his upcoming epic The Odyssey, set to premiere July 17, 2026.

Let me be clear: Lupita's role has NOT been officially confirmed! Universal Pictures has declined to comment. But the speculation alone, the mere possibility that a Black woman might play “the face that launched a thousand ships", was enough to send racists into a frenzy.

One X user wrote: "Helen of Troy was fair-skinned, blonde, and 'the face that launched a thousand ships' because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her. Casting choices that make the premise incoherent are admissions that the story was never the point and an insult to the author." Elon Musk amplified this with: "Chris Nolan has lost his integrity", in a post that now has over 25,000 likes.

It’s incredulous, to say the least. And I'll show you why. 

Let's Talk Factual History

Let's talk facts. Actual archaeological, historical facts. Troy (ancient Ilion/Wilusa) was located at Hisarlık, near the Dardanelles in modern-day Turkey. Not Greece, Turkey. The Trojans were Anatolian people, likely Luwian-speaking, related to the Hittites, with connections to Balkan/Thracian peoples. 

Troy was a crossroads of civilizations. Greeks, Hittites, Phoenicians, Egyptians, and others passed through, traded, settled, and potentially branched out from there. The population would have been an amalgamation of various ethnic groups. Indigenous Anatolians were likely of olive skin, with typical Mediterranean features. 

So, in a way, the likelihood of a blonde, pale-skinned beauty queen makes minimal sense. Yes, Homer described Helen as ‘fair’ and compared her to ‘white-armed goddesses.’ But Homer's Iliad was written in the 8th-7th century BC about events from the 12th century BC—400+ years later. That's if at all they even happened. 

The Abduction of Helen by Gavin Hamilton. Source: Legendsandmyths.com

He literally talks about Zeus transforming into a swan to mate with Leda, creating Helen, who hatched from an egg of all places! Insisting on ‘historical accuracy’ in this regard is tantamount to rewriting all we know about human biology. We're supposed to demand a blonde actress for a woman born from a swan egg, but we're fine with Zendaya playing Athena, Boston-born Matt Damon as Greek Odysseus, and a major cast that's as un-Mediterranean as humanly possible. That makes so much sense. Bravo, Twitter critics! 

Hollywood's Double Standards 

In 2017, comedian Trevor Noah addressed this exact hypocrisy in his special Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark. The context was that Idris Elba being rumored to play James Bond, made racists lose their minds. Author Anthony Horowitz said Elba was ‘too street’ to play Bond, whatever that means. Others said Bond "was based on a real white man, so he should be white." Idris himself responded to these statements, bemoaning the focus on his skin colour. But it was Trevor's response that really captured the moment’s inanity. 

To quote a particularly poignant section: "James Bond is a fictional character, so he can be played by anyone, because it is fiction! ... If you think about it, Jesus was technically a black man, but he gets played by a white man. So I don't know what your point is, 'cause that never stopped me from receiving my blessings."

Trevor also joked about the practical absurdity: "It would be particularly difficult to be a spy when you are the only black person in town." He imagined Idris trying to blend in in Scotland: "There he is!" Funny, but strikingly true.  Racism is so pervasive that even fictional spy work seems impossible for Black people in some minds, as seen in reactions to characters like Omar Sy’s Lupin. 

Now, this is not to say that erasure isn't possible for white characters. For years, critics and consumers alike have complained about race-swapping for certain characters, often with no regard for nuance or the specific weight said characters play in popular culture. The frequency of live-action adaptations and franchise developments from books and other creative works combined with the talent pool means that, at some point, certain actors would play roles that were designed differently. But to then extend this as a reason not to take on a mythical character, ignoring the similar situation for the rest of the cast, screams nothing but bigotry. 

The Jesus commonly portrayed in the media, including Hollywood, and the Jesus archaeology shows us is accurate. 

With the aid of a quick Google search, I can draft a short list of actual historical characters misrepresented in Hollywood media, that doesn't even explore this phenomenon expansively. Actors like Jim Caviezel, Joaquin Phoenix and Ewan McGregor have played Jesus Christ, a figure archaeologically proven to be olive to dark brown-skinned, with short curly hair. In 2023, when Netflix cast Adele James in the titular role of Queen Cleopatra, Egyptians denounced it, ignoring Gal Gadot before her. Russell Crowe played Noah. Gerald Butler played an honest-to-goodness deity in Gods of Egypt. And so the list goes. All historical characters with established phenotypes. All switched. No noise. Why? One word; ra-ci-sm. 

Final Words on the Case for Lupita

76 years ago, Eartha Kitt, a Black woman, portrayed Helen of Troy in Orson Welles’ 1950 Paris production based on the Odyssey, Time Runs. We have a star in Lupita that’s box-office proven, guaranteed to give an Academy Award-level performance, and globally recognised as an icon and beauty queen (She was People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman of 2014). That should be enough to play this role. Objectively, that is enough. 

Eartha Kitt as Helen and Orson Welles as Faustius in 1950's Time Runs. Source: FOX News

The fact that this has to be explained shows just how far there is to go as far as Black representation in film and TV is concerned. It is a non-issue that has us explaining, wasting time in needless conversations with bigots unwilling to look past their noses. And it is a pointer that several things need to change. 

If Hollywood really wants accuracy, they should shoot for absolute accuracy. Cast Middle Eastern actors as Middle Eastern figures. Stop whitewashing Egypt, Persia, biblical stories. Hire diverse historians, consultants. Let Black directors tell Black stories. Let Asian directors tell Asian stories. Stop centering the white male gaze as universal. Do these things or stop complaining. It really is that simple. 

If you're tired of double standards in Hollywood, share this article. Let's have the conversation they don't want us to have.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey premieres July 17, 2026.

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Written by Sahndra, Editor-in-Chief, Black Film Wire

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FEATURED SNIPPET OPPORTUNITIES

Is Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen of Troy in The Odyssey?

Lupita Nyong'o's role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (July 17, 2026) has not been officially confirmed by Universal Pictures. However, speculation based on teaser footage showing her alongside Jon Bernthal (confirmed as Menelaus) suggests she may play Helen of Troy. The rumored casting sparked controversy and racist backlash, with Elon Musk claiming Nolan "has lost his integrity."

What did the real Trojans look like?

Trojans were Anatolian people from modern-day Turkey, likely Luwian-speaking and related to Hittites. According to University of Cincinnati archaeologists, "we have very few examples of bones or human images from Troy, so it is nearly impossible to say what Trojans looked like." Ancient Anatolians typically had olive skin and dark hair, Mediterranean features with no archaeological evidence of blonde hair or pale skin as predominant traits.

What did Jesus actually look like historically?

According to Professor Joan Taylor of King's College London and forensic reconstructions, the historical Jesus was a first-century Middle Eastern Jewish man with olive-brown to dark brown skin, dark brown to black short curly hair, brown eyes, approximately 5'5" tall, with a lean build weathered from carpentry work. The white, blue-eyed, long-haired Jesus popularized by Renaissance art has no historical basis.

Why is there backlash to Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy?

The backlash stems from racist claims that Helen of Troy must be "fair-skinned and blonde" for "historical accuracy." However, Helen is a mythological character born from Zeus (as a swan) mating with Leda, making her a product of fantasy, not history. Critics point out this "accuracy" argument is never applied to white actors playing non-white historical figures like Jesus, Moses, or Cleopatra.

Did Eartha Kitt play Helen of Troy?

Yes, Eartha Kitt played Helen of Troy in 1950 in Orson Welles' theatrical production performed in Paris. Despite being a Black woman playing the role, there was no significant backlash or controversy at the time, demonstrating that the current outrage over Lupita Nyong'o's rumored casting represents a regression in accepting diverse interpretations of mythological characters.