Elon Musk calls historian Tom Holland a ‘****’ for wading into ‘woke row’ over casting of black actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy in The Odyssey
Elon Musk called British historian Tom Holland a “f**k” after wading into a “woke debate” over the movie The Odyssey.
The businessman and Tesla CEO reacted to the social media platform he owns, X, by responding to a post by an academic who expressed his support for the fantasy action adaptation.
Christopher Nolan’s film is based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Odyssey. One of the oldest surviving works of literature, it follows Odysseus, the heroic king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the decade-long Trojan War.
The adaptation stars a cast that includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as his wife Penelope, and British actor Tom Holland.
The film was criticized for its casting of black Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy – ignoring the ‘Hellenistic origins of these historical and mythological figures’ – and several other allegations of historical inaccuracies.
But historian Tom Holland has taken to
In a response tweet that has now reached 12 million views, Mr Musk said: ‘Tom Holland is an idiot.’
It is unclear whether the multimillionaire meant to refer to actor Tom Holland rather than the British historian known for his book Dominion on the Christian roots of Western morality and host of the podcast The Rest is History.
Tom Holland, playing Telemachus, is pictured in a scene from The Odyssey. It’s unclear whether the multibillionaire intended to reference actor Tom Holland rather than the British historian.
The Odyssey’s official X account has restricted comments due to backlash over decisions such as the casting of Lupita Nyong’o (pictured) as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra
In his response post, which has now reached 12 million views, Mr Musk said: ‘Tom Holland is an idiot’
Mr Holland, the historian, has since responded to the criticism.
He said: ‘I’m so happy to say this again. Odyssey is a great movie and you miss watching it because you think it’s waking up or whatever cut your nose off to spite your face. It’s your loss.”
Mr Holland later added: ‘My final comment on this whole issue (which I didn’t realize was a lightning rod for a whole culture war) – if you like Nolan’s other films, you’ll love The Odyssey. If you don’t like them, don’t miss them.
Nolan began writing The Odyssey in March 2024, and the film was announced in December. It was said that the producer was working on various translations of the book in preparation.
The film had an estimated budget of $250 million, making it among the most expensive films of Nolan’s career.
The film premiered on July 6 before being released theatrically by Universal Pictures in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 17.
There was backlash over the hiring of black performers Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Travis Scott, a rapper who has never had a major acting role before.
Trans actor Elliot Page’s portrayal of Elpenor, a hapless young member of Odysseus’ crew, also came under criticism.
Tom Holland is known for his book Dominion, on the Christian roots of Western morality, and as co-host of the podcast The Rest is History. Pictured here during a debate about Brexit
Nolan’s The Odyssey has been highly anticipated for years, with an all-star cast including Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as the goddess Athena.
But after months of online outrage, professional reviewers reached a positive verdict on X before the official review embargo was lifted.
“Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and crowning cinematic achievement from one of the greatest filmmakers of our time,” said writer Erik Davis.
Variety’s Jazz Tangcay said: ‘Christopher Nolan is a visionary and #TheOdyssey is a work of art. He’s outdone himself. You could feel the passion in the storytelling. ‘You feel the passion in the crafts and in acting.’
However, online fan criticism became so intense that the film’s official X account restricted comments on posts about the film.
Nyong’o, who won an Oscar for the 2013 historical drama 12 Years a Slave, will also star in the film as Helen’s sister Clytemnestra.
His hiring sparked a violent backlash on X; He lashed out, including conservative pundit Matt Walsh, who said that “no one on the planet” considered Nyong’o the most beautiful in the world, but that Nolan “knew he would be called a racist if he cast a white woman as the ‘most beautiful woman’.”
Musk, the owner of the social media platform, responded to Walsh by writing “True”, prompting pushback from outspoken liberals such as Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Kimmel.
Nyong’o recently admitted in an interview with Elle that she “really had no idea what Odyssey was” when she was first approached for the project.
Nyong’o, who was photographed at last year’s Academy Museum Gala, faced backlash for her response to the question of what she would ask Homer if she met him today.
And I said: “Oh, quick, I don’t know the first thing about this.” So it was a crash course. I bought the books and read them immediately. The Kenyan-Mexican actor noted that I have this movie to thank for my Greek mythology education.
The armor and ship designs featured in the film’s trailers had previously been criticized by some Greek publications, historians and commentators, and the casting of non-Greek actors had also come under criticism.
Some commentators described the changes as ‘unrealistic’ for the time and a misrepresentation of ancient Greek history.
In May, Nolan gave an interview explaining the creative impetus for hiring Travis Scott, a world-famous rapper but yet to be tried as an actor.
“I cast him because I wanted to wrap my head around the idea that this story was conveyed as spoken word poetry, similar to rap,” Nolan explained to Time.
