Christopher Nolan has defended his decision to cast rapper Travis Scott in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d after receiving harsh backlash over the choice.<\/p>\n
The famed filmmaker addressed the controversy surrounding Scott\u2019s appearance in his upcoming adaptation of the ancient Greek epic during a new interview with Time<\/a> published Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Nolan, 55, explained.<\/p>\n Christopher Nolan defended his decision to cast Travis Scott (as pictured here) in the \u201cOdyssey\u201d following backlash. Universal Pictures\/ Youtube<\/p>\n Nolan addressed the controversy around his decision to include Scott (seen here in June 2025) as an ancient Greek storyteller in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d during an interview with Time published Tuesday. Getty Images<\/p>\n The 35-year-old \u201cSicko Mode\u201d rapper\u2019s role in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d was first revealed in an exclusive TV teaser trailer released back in January, per Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA war, a man, a trick \u2014 a trick to break the walls of Troy,\u201d Scott, dressed as a storyteller, shouts in the clip as images of the Trojan War flash across the screen. \u201cIt burning, screaming to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n But viewers quickly rushed to social media to question Nolan\u2019s surprising decision to include the hip-hop icon in his latest flick.<\/p>\n \u201cNolan does not know what he\u2019s doing anymore or he really really really wants an Oscar for this \u2018film,’\u201d one person tweeted following the news<\/a> of Scott\u2019s role in the movie.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Nolan (pictured here this past April) explained. Rob Latour\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The \u201cSicko Mode\u201d rapper is the latest star Nolan (seen here filming \u201cInterstellar\u201d in 2014) has added to his upcoming adaptation of Homer\u2019s ancient Greek epic. \u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cYep, this is gonna go as well as trying to put out a forest fire,\u201d added another.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you thought the bomb in Oppenheimer was big \u2013 you ain\u2019t seen nothing yet,\u201d commented a third critic, while a fourth called the rapper\u2019s casting \u201cpretentious.\u201d<\/p>\n Other viewers, however, pointed out that Nolan and Scott previously worked together on the filmmaker\u2019s film \u201cTenet.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cRodeo\u201d artist\u2019s track \u201cThe Plan\u201d was used as the theme song for the 2020 sci-fi thriller.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, Travis did do a song for Tenet,\u201d one fan wrote on Instagram<\/a> amid the backlash.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is gonna go as well as trying to put out a forest fire,\u201d one critic wrote after it was revealed Scott (pictured here this past January) would be in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d WireImage<\/p>\n Other fans defended the \u201c90210\u201d rapper (seen here this past March) and his role in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d FilmMagic<\/p>\n \u201cTyler was in Marty Supreme and it wasn\u2019t a big deal,\u201d added another regarding Tyler, the Creator\u2019s role in last year\u2019s \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott\u2019s reps did not immediately respond to Page Six\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in his interview with Time, Nolan explained he once again hired a team of experts to help him make \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d as accurate as possible \u2014 something he previously did for 2014\u2019s \u201cInterstellar.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor \u2018Interstellar,\u2019 you\u2019re looking at: What is the best speculation of the future? When you\u2019re looking at the ancient past, it\u2019s actually the same thing,\u201d Nolan said. \u201cWhat is the best speculation, and how can I use that to create a world?\u201d<\/p>\n Nolan cast an ensemble of A-listers in his adaptation of \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d including Matt Damon as Odysseus (as pictured here). \u00a9Universal\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Damon (seen here as Odysseus in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d) will co-star alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and more Hollywood icons. Universal Pictures\/ Youtube<\/p>\n The filmmaker added, \u201cHopefully they\u2019ll enjoy the film, even if they don\u2019t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about \u2018Interstellar.\u2019 But you just don\u2019t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.\u201d<\/p>\n Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17.<\/p>\n