Elon Musk wades into The Odyssey 'woke' row as he slams rumours that trans actor Elliot Page will play Achilles

Elon Musk has waded into the debate surrounding Christopher Nolan's forthcoming epic The Odyssey, dismissing speculation that Elliot Page, 39, might portray Achilles.

The tech billionaire's response came after the X account UnHerd posted about weekend reports suggesting the trans actor could be taking on the role of the legendary Greek warrior in Mr Nolan's adaptation of Homer's poem.

Mr Musk's comment on the social media platform he owns attracted substantial attention, accumulating over 58,000 likes, 2,300 reposts, and 1,400 comments.

Wading into the online discourse surrounding the role, Mr Musk said it was "one of the dumbest and most twisted things I've ever heard."

It is worth noting that there has been no official confirmation regarding the Juno star's character in the film.

PayPal founder Mr Musk wasn't the only public figure to share their thoughts on the Umbrella Academy's star's rumoured role.

Also on X, The People's Channel regular Andrew Doyle commented: "It doesn’t matter how well executed a film might be, once it starts with the DEI preaching it invariably fails."

Elsewhere, Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo hit out: "You could have paid me to tank this movie and I wouldn’t have thought of this."

And political commentator Steven Barrett weighed in: "At a certain point. We just have to say no. So yeah. No."

The most recent trailer for The Odyssey offers a fleeting glimpse of the actor, though specifics about which character they are portraying remain shrouded in secrecy.

This approach to concealing casting details is familiar territory for Mr Nolan, who previously attempted to keep Marion Cotillard's role hidden ahead of The Dark Knight Rises, only for the information to emerge online before the film's release.

The director and actor duo first collaborated on the 2010 science fiction thriller Inception.

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The X-Men: Days of Future Past star addressed their latest collaboration during a panel at New York Comic Con last year: "I loved working with (Mr Nolan) on Inception and loved being a part of that movie.

"I was just completely jazzed and excited. It was such a joy to come back."

Mr Nolan has also shed light on other casting decisions in a recent Time magazine profile.

The Oscar-winning director confirmed that Lupita Nyong'o will take on a dual role, portraying both Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra.

One of the dumbest and twisted things I’ve ever heard 🤡🤡

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2026

In Greek mythology, Helen is celebrated as the most beautiful woman in existence, whose abduction by Paris of Troy ignited the decade-long conflict.

Her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, is played by Jon Bernthal, with Time stating that Mr Nolan "complicates" the relationship between the royal couple.

Clytemnestra, meanwhile, is wed to Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, portrayed by Benny Safdie.

The casting has become another source of contention among film fans, many of whom have criticised the decision to have a single actress play two sisters, each married to one of two brothers.

Uh oh. It’s worse than we thought… https://t.co/rqgRE6FSEX

— Andrew Doyle (@andrewdoyle_com) May 12, 2026

Mr Nolan has also addressed the unexpected inclusion of rapper Travis Scott, whose appearance in an earlier trailer left many viewers puzzled.

Mr Scott takes on the role of a bard in the film, narrating events from the Trojan War.

Explaining his reasoning to Time, Mr Nolan drew a connection between ancient storytelling traditions and contemporary music: "I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap."