Trump supporters and protesters gather outside a campaign rally (and accompanying anti-Trump protest) for President Trump and US Senate candidate Martha McSally. (Eric Rosenwald / Shutterstock.com)
A few weeks ago, the MAGA world took one look at actor Lupita Nyong’o playing the role of “Helen” in Christiopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and decided they hated it. But on Thursday, the Daily Beast reports movie audiences gave not a whit about MAGA preferences for white actresses.
“The movie MAGA crusaded against last month for its latest anti-woke campaign is only drawing huge demand despite the whining,” the Beast reports. “Variety reported that IMAX tickets for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey were in such high demand Thursday morning that theater chain AMC’s mobile application had to pause before it resumed operations. Moviegoers seeking Odyssey tickets on Fandango had a similar experience, with lags and long wait times as fans waited an hour to buy tickets, the site reported.”
This news follows the fact that last year’s IMAX pre-sale for the film sold out immediately, despite being a full year from release, said the Beast.
MAGA is known for its racist bent. But the castings of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Elliot Page drew scrutiny from conservative media personalities and Trump billionaire friend Elon Musk, who claimed Nolan was ‘rewriting history’ by selecting a Black actress for Helen of Troy and a trans actor as Achilles, said the Beast.
Musk began knocking Nolan and his movie when rumors about N’yong’o’s role started circulating in January. The billionaire X owner made sure to amplify his complaints with his own social media platform when Nolan confirmed Nyong’o. Musk, according to the Beast, “went on a days-long posting and reposting spree denouncing the film and calling Nolan ‘racist’ for casting the her.
But then came Musk’s MAGA followers, heralded by Newsmax host Rob Finnerty, who dedicated a whole show’s segment to whining that woman of Kenyan descent do not deserve to be playing the role of Helen and “rewriting” history.
“A woman who was definitely white is going to be played by Lupita Nyong’o,” complained Finnerty. “Helen of Troy was not Black. That’s not me being mean. That’s me telling the truth.”
Right-wing influencer Matt Walsh popped in and claimed to speak for everybody on the planet by posting “not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’” He also called Nolan a “coward” for casting Nyong’o.
For her part, Nyong’o swatted the MAGA whining with barely a brush, reports the Beast.
“I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not,” she told Elle, adding, “Our cast is representative of the world.”
Meanwhile, the Beast reports “MAGA’s efforts have done virtually nothing to incite outrage and lower demand for Nolan’s adaptation, which remains as high as it was when tickets sold out last year.”
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