Elon Musk has branded English historian Tom Holland a “c**k” after entering an online culture-war dispute surrounding Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey.
The Tesla chief and entrepreneur posted the insult on X, the social media site he owns, in response to Holland’s public defence of the fantasy action adaptation.
Nolan’s movie draws on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey, among the earliest surviving works of Western literature, which follows Odysseus, the heroic king of Ithaca, as he struggles to return home after the decade-long Trojan War.
The cast features Matt Damon in the role of Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as his wife Penelope, and a wider ensemble that includes English actor Tom Holland.
The film has drawn criticism from some quarters over the casting of Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, with detractors claiming it overlooks the “Hellenistic roots” of the historical and mythological figures, alongside other alleged departures from historical accuracy.
Historian Tom Holland, however, shared a positive review of the film on X, adding: “More praise for The Odyssey from people who – shockingly – have actually waited to see it before giving their opinion.”
Musk then replied in a post that has since been viewed 12 million times, writing: “Tom Holland is such a c**k.”
It remains unclear whether the billionaire meant to target the historian or had confused him with Tom Holland the actor. The British historian is best known for Dominion, his book on Christianity’s influence on Western morality, and for co-hosting The Rest Is History podcast.
Tom Holland, who plays Telemachus is pictured in a scene from The Odyssey. It is unclear whether the multi-billionaire had intended to reference Tom Holland the actor rather than the British historian
The official X account for The Odyssey has restricted comments amid a backlash over such decisions as the casting of Lupita Nyong’o (pictured) as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra
In a responding post that has now amassed 12million views, Mr Musk opined: ‘Tom Holland is such a c**k’
Mr Holland, the historian, has since responded to the criticism.
He said: ‘Very happy to say it again. 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.’
Mr Holland later added: ‘My last comment on this whole business (which I hadn’t realised was a lightning rod for an entire culture war) – if you like Nolan’s other films, you will love The Odyssey. If you didn’t like them, then miss it.
Nolan began writing The Odyssey in March 2024 and the film was announced in December – with the filmmaker said to have studied several translations of the book in preparation.
The film had an estimated budget of $250million and is among the most expensive of Nolan’s career.
It premiered on July 6 ahead of its theatrical release by Universal Pictures on July 17 in the United States and the United Kingdom.
There was backlash over the hiring of black performers Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Travis Scott – a rapper who has never held a major acting role before.
The casting of trans actor Elliot Page as an ill-fated young member of Odysseus’ crew called Elpenor also attracted criticism.
Tom Holland is known for his book Dominion on the Christian roots of Western morality and as the co-host of the The Rest is History podcast. He is pictured here during a debate about Brexit
Nolan’s movie of The Odyssey has been hotly anticipated for years, with an all-star cast including Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as the goddess Athena
After months of mounting online fury, however, professional critics rendered a positive verdict on X ahead of the lifting of the official review embargo.
‘Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time,’ author Erik Davis said.
Jazz Tangcay of Variety said: ‘Christopher Nolan is a visionary, and #TheOdyssey is a work of art. He has outdone himself. You could feel the passion in his storytelling. You feel the passion in the crafts and the acting.’
But fan criticism has grown so intense online that the official X account for the film has restricted comments on its posts.
Nyong’o, who won an Oscar for the 2013 historical drama 12 Years a Slave, will also feature in the film as Helen’s sister Clytemnestra.
Her hiring provoked a fierce response on X, including from conservative pundit Matt Walsh, who fumed that nobody ‘on the planet’ regards Nyong’o as the world’s greatest beauty but that Nolan ‘knows that he would be called racist if he gave “the most beautiful woman” role to a white woman.’
Musk, who owns the social media platform, responded to Walsh by writing: ‘True,’ eliciting pushback by outspoken liberals like Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Kimmel.
Nyong’o recently confessed she ‘really had no idea what The Odyssey was’ when she was first approached for the project, in an interview with Elle.
Nyong’o, pictured at last year’s Academy Museum Gala, faced blowback over her response to a question about what she would ask Homer if she met him today
‘I was like: “Oh, snap, I don’t know the first thing about this.” So it was a crash course. I picked up the books and read them immediately. I have this film to thank for my Greek mythological education,’ acknowledged the Kenyan-Mexican actress.
Designs of the armour and ships featured in trailers of the film previously met criticism from some Greek publications, historians and commentators as did the casting of non-Greek actors.
Some commentators labelled the changes ‘unrealistic’ for the period and as a misrepresentation of ancient Greek history.
In May, Nolan gave an interview explaining the creative impetus for his hiring of Travis Scott, a world-famous rapper who was nevertheless untested as an actor.
‘I cast him,’ Nolan explained to Time: ‘because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap.’
