His name is Tom Holland, and he has plenty of strong opinions about “The Odyssey.” Just don’t mistake him for one of the film’s stars.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Holland, a U.K.-based historian, has built a following of more than 372,000 on X, where he shares insights on topics ranging from the Greco-Persian Wars to the height of the Roman Empire.But this month, as Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic “The Odyssey” arrives in theaters, Holland has found himself stepping into a very different arena: the culture wars.The Greek epic, which follows Odysseus on his perilous 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is a foundational work in Western literature.
The tale has been continuously retold, translated and adapted into various formats over nearly three millennia.Hype around the movie, which co-stars the actor Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son Telemachus, has been building for more than a year, with tickets for early showings sold out.But in recent months, the movie has become the subject of an ongoing culture war clash over what some on the right see as historical inaccuracies and casting choices designed to appease the left.Several have zeroed in on the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, the mythic beauty whose face “launched a thousand ships” and ignited the Trojan War, and Elliot Page as Sinus, a warrior who fought alongside Odysseus during the Trojan War.
Elon Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO, has been among the more vocal critics.He recently hurled an insult in a post on X at Holland, who has praised the film.Holland, who was invited to the London premiere and posted a picture of himself from the blue carpet, replied.“Very happy to say it again,” the historian wrote.
“The Odyssey is an amazing film, and missing out on seeing it because you think it’s woke or whatever is cutting off your nose to spite your face.Your loss.”A repres...