Why Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey includes no Greek actors

There are American accents, gleaming bodysuits and a muddy Dunkirk palette, and then there is Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, a casting choice that drew racist attacks online, including from Elon Musk. For many Greeks, however, the more pressing question when the first images arrived was the whereabouts of Billy Zane — his absence, and that of other beloved Greek diaspora figures, has prompted “Alternative Odyssey” lists, dinner table debates from Patras to Palmers Green and open letters from Greek and Greek Cypriot media platforms.

Hollywood has long mined Greek stories without much Greek participation, from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) to Troy (2004), while comedies and epics alike have leaned on familiar stereotypes. “It is true, there’s a sense that the world’s impression of Greeks is more Zorba than Achilles,” says Thodoris Koutsogiannopoulos.

Greece, Patras, Palmers Green

christopher nolan, odyssey, lupita nyong'o, helen, billy zane, greek actors, greek diaspora, casting choices, racist attacks, elon musk