Greeks Left Adrift at Sea as Culture War Rages Over Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’

“The Odyssey” is sailing into the rough seas of the culture wars and offering people of Greek descent no safe harbor. Those defending this foundational story of Hellenic heritage, and criticizing the film’s eclectic cast, are drawing lightning bolts from the self-appointed gods atop Hollywood’s Mount Olympus.The son of the Oscar winner, Richard Dreyfuss, Ben Dreyfuss, posted on X that his “favorite Odyssey backlash talking point is, ‘Nolan has disrespected the Greeks,’ because literally no one in America actually cares about this including the people saying it.”This columnist, who is of Greek ancestry, took exception, and asked Mr. Dreyfuss why he presumes “to judge people’s outrage as legitimate or not.” Offered the reasons that Hellenic people are protective of their ancestors — including 400 years of occupation by Ottoman Turks bent on erasing it — he scoffed.“You’re legally allowed to be outraged about whatever you want,” Mr. Dreyfuss said, “but I don’t need to pat you on the head just because you’re mad.” Similar condescension meets most Hellenic observations about “The Odyssey.” There are none of Hollywood’s performative calls for tolerance when other, far larger groups are portrayed.Director Christopher Nolan, center, with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema on set of ‘The Odyssey.’ Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via APThe director of “The Odyssey,” Mr. Nolan, seems more aware that everyone will see his work through their personal lenses and experiences. “All I can do,” he told the Telegraph on Friday, “is make the best film I possibly can in the most sincere way.”That dedication to one’s vision is key for art to flourish. Greece’s culture minister, Lina Mendoni, rejected calls to ban “The Odyssey” for this reason, saying it’s not the state’s role to mandate how myths are interpreted. That doesn’t mean accepting that this is just another “intellectual property” to remake, reboot, and reimagine.To be Greek is to be almost a mythical creature. Students in sororities and fraternities students call themselves “Greeks,” using Hellenic letters and dressing up in traditional garb for drunken debauchery. A common protest when anyone, say, wears a sombrero, “My culture is not your costume,” is never heard.Mia Goth as Melantho and Anne Hathaway as Penelope in a scene from ‘The Odyssey.’ Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via APThis is not to argue it should be, but to point out the hypocrisy. One of six Hispanic actors in “The Odyssey,” John Leguizamo, insists that only people of Spanish descent play characters from his group and says his “Odyssey” is for “representation.” Yet Mr. Nolan’s cast has just a single Greek supporting actor. Everyone speaks in modern slang and accents. Colors are bland.The Mexican-Kenyan actress who plays Helen of Troy, Lupita Nyong’o, insists that she’s right for this role while defending the all-Black cast of her earlier film, “Black Panther.” She told the press that she’d never heard of “The Odyssey,” and that she’d confront its author, Homer, over the lack of “female representation.”Neither Mr. Leguizamo nor Ms. Nyong’o practiced what they preach. By comparison, Jack Nicholson — who never presumed to mandate casting — turned down the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather,” deferring to an actor of Italian descent.The director of “The Hunt for Gollum,” Andrew Serkis, is now facing complaints about that film’s all-white cast. He told the BBC that the author of “The Lord of The Rings,” J.R.R. Tolkien, “was influenced a lot by Norse mythology” and “we will be doing a politically correct, just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film.”Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena in ‘The Odyssey.’ Universal PicturesBoth left and right err when they demand that real identities match fictional roles. The craft is what matters. More than 80 years ago, Orson Welles cast a black actress, Eartha Kitt, as Helen of Troy. But it mattered that she loved Greek culture, dined on moussaka, and never hectored Homer or insisted on race-based casting.The Mexican-Irish actor, Anthony Quinn, headlined “Zorba the Greek.” He portrayed Greeks as joyful, welcoming, and defiant against the Nazi occupation by steeping himself in Greek culture. Today, a bay in Rhodes is named in his honor.Audiences are enjoying “The Odyssey” as Mr. Nolan becomes the latest to retell what began thousands of years ago as an oral story. It would be far more vibrant had he honored the rich culture that produced it. A pat on the head is not what’s being sought, just a recognition that while Odysseus is a myth, the Greek people were — and are — quite real.

Greeks Left Adrift at Sea as Culture War Rages Over Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’

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