American actor Alec Baldwin has taken aim at tech billionaire Elon Musk after the Tesla founder made controversial comments about Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o. The clash erupted on social media over the upcoming film The Odyssey, with Musk criticising director Christopher Nolan for casting black actress Nyong'o as Helen of Troy — the legendary beauty from Greek mythology — instead of a white actress. The 12 Years a Slave star will also portray Helen's sister, Clytemnestra.
Musk engaged with conservative commentator Matt Walsh on X, agreeing with claims that Nolan's decision to cast Nyong'o as the demigoddess was driven by awards politics. "Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong'o is 'the most beautiful woman in the world'," Walsh wrote. "But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave 'the most beautiful woman' role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward." Supporting Walsh's opinion, Musk replied to the controversial comments: "True."
The billionaire businessman also wrote on X that Nolan "wants the awards", which is why he believes the director is changing the races of characters in The Odyssey from how they've commonly been depicted in the past.
Baldwin publicly defended Nyong'o on Instagram, hitting back at Musk's post, which was labelled by social media users as "tacky" and "racist". The actor shared a picture of Nyong'o on Instagram and directly responded to Musk: "Dear Elon... but she IS the most beautiful woman in the world...Alec."
Nolan's adaptation of Homer's ancient story follows the Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Grappling with mythical creatures and angry gods, Odysseus fights to reunite with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) while fending off suitors claiming his throne.
Back in February, when Nyong'o's role in the film was still just a rumour, Musk responded to an X user who claimed it would be "an insult" to Homer if the actress played Helen of Troy. The user argued the Greek poet described the fictional character as "fair skinned, blonde and 'the face that launched a thousand ships' because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her". Musk later commented on the post: "Chris Nolan has lost his integrity."
But many social media users have supported the casting choice, saying the Oscar winner is "stunning" and that they couldn't wait to watch her performance.
