Whoopi Goldberg Has a Blunt Message for Transphobic ‘The Odyssey’ Casting Critics

Whoopi Goldberg has responded to the backlash surrounding Elliot Page’s casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, telling critics who disagree with the decision that they can simply choose not to watch the movie.

During Tuesday’s episode of The View, Goldberg addressed the ongoing criticism aimed at the film’s cast, including complaints from conservative commentators who have targeted Page’s role. The discussion came after the show played a clip of Ben Shapiro criticizing the decision to cast Page as a male character in the Greek epic adaptation.

Goldberg acknowledged that some viewers may not agree with the casting choices, but questioned why those critics were spending so much time attacking a movie they did not want to watch.

“Listen, a lot of conservatives who see this are going to feel the same way. That’s okay,” Goldberg said. “But I don’t understand. Why go see the movie? If you don’t want to see it, then don’t go see it. Why do you care who’s cast in it?”

She continued by criticizing the idea that people should try to convince everyone else to dislike a movie because they personally disagree with certain choices.

“I don’t understand this idea that if we hate it, everybody must hate it because we hate it for this reason,” Goldberg said. “You don’t like Elliot Page? Don’t go see the damn movie. Don’t do it. We will be okay if you don’t go see it.”

The comments came as The Odyssey continues to perform strongly at the box office. The Christopher Nolan film has already crossed $300 million worldwide following a major opening weekend, making it one of the biggest releases of the year.

Other members of The View panel also pushed back against the criticism. Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that the movie’s themes should appeal to many audiences, including people who have criticized the film before seeing it.

Griffin described The Odyssey as a story focused on family, faith, responsibility and the consequences of war. “It’s about devotion to family, it’s about faith, it’s about upholding institutions. It’s about how war is dangerous and has repercussions for all of us,” she said.

She added that she was surprised some critics were dismissing the film because of the word “woke” instead of focusing on its actual story. Joy Behar responded that some people were simply stuck on that label, while Griffin argued that the movie itself does not contain the issues critics are claiming.

The panel also discussed the criticism of Page’s role from another angle. Sarah Haines said people should watch a film before deciding whether it is good or bad.

“There’s a unique ignorance to someone who comments on something they’ve never seen,” Haines said. “You cannot not see the film and complain about how awful it is, when you haven’t seen the film.”

The casting debate around The Odyssey has been ongoing since before the film’s release. Along with Page’s role, other casting decisions involving Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Travis Scott’s appearance in the movie have also sparked online arguments.

Nolan previously responded to the criticism, saying the backlash was not something that concerned him and that controversy is part of adapting a major piece of existing mythology.

The Odyssey follows Matt Damon as Odysseus during his long journey home after the Trojan War. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and many other major actors.

With the movie continuing its successful theatrical run, the debate around its casting appears unlikely to disappear anytime soon. However, Goldberg and other supporters believe audiences should judge the film itself rather than focusing only on online arguments surrounding its production.

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