Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is facing more backlash, this time from Greeks calling out Hollywood over the lack of Greek representation in the cast.
Greek City Times published “A Letter to Hollywood and Nolan’s Odyssey Cast from Us Greeks,” which argues that Greek people are being ignored in a story rooted in Greek culture, history, and identity.
The letter comes as audience interest in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has already dropped, following backlash over the movie’s casting and comments from Lupita Nyong’o.
Greeks Ask Hollywood: Where Are The Greeks?
The Greek City Times letter is addressed to the cast and creative team of Nolan’s The Odyssey.
The piece says Greeks are not “fragments of antiquity” or museum pieces, but a living people whose story continues today.
The letter makes a point of stating: “We did not vanish.”
The letter argues Greek culture did not end with ancient myths, marble statues, or museum displays.
It points to more than 3,000 years of Greek continuity, from the Mycenaean period and Classical Greece through the Byzantine era, Ottoman rule, modern Greece, and Greek diaspora communities across the globe.
If Hollywood is going to retell The Odyssey, Greeks should not be invisible in their own story.
Greek City Times Calls Out The Cast
The most shareable part of the letter comes in the addendum, where Greek City Times lists the cast and their heritage.
For a full breakdown, see our look at The Odyssey cast heritage and every major actor’s background.
The cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Jovan Adepo, and Mia Goth.
Greek City Times then asks where the Greeks or Greek-Americans are in this Greek story.
The letter also calls out Hollywood’s own rules about representation, diversity, and authenticity.
The argument is that Hollywood pushes those standards when it wants to, but appears to ignore them when the culture being left out is Greek.
Greek City Times writes that Greeks did not start the fire. Hollywood did, by pushing diversity and authenticity as major standards.
Nolan Filmed In Greece With Greek Incentives
The criticism also comes with another layer: Nolan’s The Odyssey filmed in Greece.
The Hellenic Film Commission announced last year that Greece welcomed the Universal Pictures and Syncopy production, with filming planned across the Peloponnese region, including Nestor’s Cave, Voidokilia Beach, Almyrolaka Beach, Methoni Castle, and Acrocorinth.
The same announcement also promoted Greece’s film incentives, including a 40% cash rebate for domestic and international productions.
That makes the Greek City Times letter hit harder.
Hollywood was willing to use Greek locations, Greek history, Greek landscapes, and Greece’s production incentives for a movie based on Homer’s Greek epic. But according to the letter, Greeks still appear to be missing from the center of the cast.
The Odyssey gets released on July 17.
