Ben Shapiro praises The Odyssey, says the Greeks are not “white” as online backlash over movie’s casting intensifies

Ben Shapiro has praised The Odyssey saying that the Greeks are not “White” amid online backlash over the film’s casting.

The conservative political commentator praised the Christopher Nolan film as “terrific” while reviewing it. He posted the video on his official YouTube channel, along with the title which read Ben Shapiro Reviews The Odyssey. Shapiro said:

“It doesn’t take me out of the film that there's a multi-racial cast. If you want to make the case everybody needs to be Greek to be authentic, [music] I think you can make that case. If you want to make the case everybody has to be white, I think that that is a lesser case because white people and Greek are not quite the same thing.”

Ben Shapiro observed that Nolan took certain liberties from the original epic. He praised several scenes, including the Cyclops, the destruction of Troy and the Trojan Horse sequence. However, he noted some flaws in some scenes where the background score overwhelmed the dialogue.

Online backlash over "The Odyssey" casting intensifies post-release

The online backlash against Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey intensified following its theatrical debut on July 17.

The core reasons for the criticism include the casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, Elliot Page’s casting as Sinon, and Travis Scott as a poet. Users took to X to share their opinions after watching the film.

A user who wrote on X shared a short compilation featuring the diverse casting in the film and wrote:

“Saw Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in IMAX on opening day. It was absolutely cheeks. He sold out for the Hollywood agenda.”

Michael Knowles, a conservative commentator and host at The Daily Wire, has slammed the film, saying:

“What's most striking about the woke aspects of Nolan's Odyssey is not their inclusion but their magnitude. The casting isn't just colorblind; it's precisely, clinically "diverse."

Knowles added:

"The actress who plays Helen isn't just black; she describes herself as "dark as night." Achilles, the most fearsome warrior in the world, is recast as another warrior played by a diminutive "trans" woman. Of all the great versions of the poem, Nolan chose the most feminist translation as his source text. It's all just so over the top.”

Another person said:

“The Odyssey is 15% fighting, 2% dialogue , and 83% men running on beaches.”

Someone shared an image showing the screen time allotted to Zendaya, Elliot Page, and Lupita Nyong'o in Nolan's directorial. They wrote:

“We owe these three an apology. (Their respective screen time in The Odyssey)”

A netizen noted:

“Every single complaint about Nolan's Odyssey can be traced back to this godawful translation that he used. It somehow manages to create an entirely different Odysseus than the one that Homer wrote (because Emily Wilson hates masculinity), and completely derails Matt Damon's character in the film.”

A person said:

“I just watched Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. It wasn’t a movie. It was a $250 million cinematic crime against Homer the worst experience I’ve ever had at the cinema.”

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According to a report in The Deadline, Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the film deviates from Homer’s tale in many ways. For instance, in the original text, the relationship between Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway) and Telemachus (played by Tom Holland) is complex and strained. Nolan reversed their roles in the film; Penelope slams her son for his immaturity and is shown as a more self-possessed person.

However, a segment of people has praised the film, describing the film as “monumental” and one of Nolan’s strongest works.

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