Jul 17, 2026 · 23 min · 13 segments
This week, Colin asks where the line should be drawn between artistic licence and historical truth. Using Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey as a starting point, he argues that while fictional characters…
Colin BrazierHost
The Odyssey appears on screens worldwide, the latest blockbuster from a British creative genius, Christopher Nolan, the director who brought us movies like Dunkirk and Interstellar, for what it's worth, two of my favourite films.
The Odyssey has already enjoyed or endured some unscheduled pre-launch projects.
publicity earlier this year, Elon Musk said that by casting a black actress to play Helen of Troy, Christopher Nolan had desecrated the odyssey it was, he said, an act of anti-white racism.
A cowardly decision by Nolan, who had squandered his artistic integrity in order to tick various diversity boxes in the hope of securing multiple Oscar nominations.
Does it matter whether the face that launched a thousand ships is black, white or brown? All that really matters, surely, is that any actress who plays antiquity's most beautiful woman is beautiful.
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