Victor Davis Hanson Criticizes Christopher Nolan for Excluding All Greek Actors from Odyssey
"To make this national epic, which the Greek people feel is a continuous tradition from the 7th, 8th century and not have a single Greek actress or actor is, is kind of jarring when you go out of your way to get other people who would cause controversy and sometimes in a subversive manner."
About this episode
Piers Morgan Uncensored convenes a multi-part panel to debate the firestorm surrounding Christopher Nolan's new film adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, which has become a cultural flashpoint over its casting choices and perceived feminist reimagining. The episode features classicists Victor Davis Hanson, Daniel Mendelsohn, and A.N. Wilson, alongside YouTube film critics the Critical Drinker and Nerdrotic, plus political commentator Marc Lamont Hill. The central controversy involves Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen of Troy and Elliot Page cast as the Greek soldier Sinon, with critics arguing the choices prioritize contemporary identity politics over historical authenticity. Victor Davis Hanson delivers pointed criticism that no Greek actors were cast in Greece's national epic, calling it jarring and potentially insulting to Greek culture. Hanson argues Homer's work was already remarkably feminist for its era, featuring powerful female characters like Athena, Penelope, and Circe, making modern feminist reimagining unnecessary. Daniel Mendelsohn counters that Helen appears for barely 45 seconds in the film, making the outrage disproportionate, while emphasizing that the real test is whether Nolan captures Homer's narrative complexity and Odysseus's multifaceted character. A.N. Wilson defends his daughter Emily Wilson's translation that reportedly inspired the film, noting Homer himself portrayed Odysseus as a charming liar. The Critical Drinker and Nerdrotic frame the casting as deliberately subversive rather than merit-based, part of a decade-long culture war in Hollywood. Marc Lamont Hill pushes back, arguing European culture faces no existential threat from one alternate interpretation and that every film adaptation takes liberties with source material. The debate extends to broader questions about race-swapping in adaptations, with comparisons to historical examples like Charlton Heston as Moses and Eartha Kitt as Helen of Troy in the 1950s. Early box office projections suggest The Odyssey will open to $80-100 million domestically, though critics debate whether it will match Oppenheimer's success without a Barbenheimer-style cultural moment.
Key takeaways
- Victor Davis Hanson criticizes Christopher Nolan for casting zero Greek actors in The Odyssey despite it being Greece's foundational national epic
- Film critics argue Nolan's casting of Lupita Nyong'o and Elliot Page represents deliberately subversive choices prioritizing identity politics over authenticity
- Daniel Mendelsohn notes Helen of Troy appears for approximately 45 seconds in the film, questioning why the casting has generated such intense controversy
- Victor Davis Hanson contends Homer's Odyssey was already remarkably feminist for 700 BC, featuring powerful women like Athena, Penelope, Circe, and Calypso
- Marc Lamont Hill argues European culture faces no threat from one alternate interpretation and that all film adaptations deviate from source texts
- The Odyssey is projected to open with $80 to $100 million domestically but may not reach Oppenheimer's heights without a similar cultural phenomenon
- Critics identify casting choices as red flags signaling poor treatment of source material, citing Amazon's Rings of Power as precedent for subversive adaptation