Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is “honoured” to have been given the opportunity to portray the beloved character Helen of Troy from Homer’s ‘The Iliad’ in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, ‘The Odyssey’.
Nyong’o was speaking to Elle Magazine in an exclusive featuring her fellow female co-stars Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.
“I was so deeply honoured to be entrusted with the role,” Nyong’o said. “I mean, she is iconic. What more can I say?”
Lupita will play not one but two characters in the film: Helen and her half-sister Clytemnestra.
The character Helen plays a pivotal role in the events of the Trojan War as told in ‘The Iliad’ and not so much in ‘The Odyssey’, but with descriptions such as “the face that launched a thousand ships” often attributed to her, Nyong’o’s casting provoked racist outrage. But Lupita would much rather focus on the character.
“You can’t perform beauty,” she said to Elle Magazine. “I want to know who a character is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks? That’s the thing about doing such a well-known text, which has been studied and interpreted and derived from. The research could be endless. The good thing about working with a writer like Chris is that it’s on the page. The investigation starts with the pages you’re given. That’s what I based it on.”
Beyond doing a character study for her role, Lupita is not concerned with defending herself.
“I’m very supportive of Chris’s (Nolan) intention with it and with the version of this story that he is telling. Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.”
‘The Odyssey’ is a mythological story that not only includes fantastical characters such as Sirens and a Cyclops, but also includes a journey through the underworld; a story of a man determined to get home that “spans worlds.”
“It’s quite something to be a part of ‘The Odyssey’, because it is so grand. It spans worlds. So that’s why the cast is what it is. We’re occupying the epic narrative of our time.”
Speaking about her career in general, Lupita added, “I can’t spend my time thinking about all the people who still don’t love me. You’ll find the representatives who believe in you, and you’ll get on with it. I want to believe I’m built to last.”
The Odyssey will premiere globally on July 17.
