Elon Musk called Tom Holland the c-word, but the full story isn’t what it seems. It was tied to a discussion around Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated big-budget adaptation, The Odyssey. The movie, releasing on July 17, is based on a foundational ancient epic composed by the Greek poet Homer around the 8th century BCE. It stars Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, and Robert Pattinson, among others.
Elon Musk just insulted Tom Holland, but it’s not who you think
Elon Musk did insult Tom Holland, but the jab wasn’t aimed at the Spider-Man star.
As reported by NBC News, the Tom Holland he went after is a British historian with over 372,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter). He breaks down topics like the Greco-Persian Wars and the Roman Empire for his audience. The historian is also known for having strong opinions about The Odyssey.
Over the past few months, the film has landed at the center of a culture war debate. Right-leaning critics say it contains historical inaccuracies and casting meant to court the left. Two choices have drawn particular criticism: Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, the mythic figure whose beauty “launched a thousand ships,” and Elliot Page as Sinon, the Trojan War warrior who fought alongside Odysseus.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has been one of the loudest critics. He recently took to X to insult the historian who praised the film.
Holland, who attended the London premiere and shared a photo from the blue carpet, responded, “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.”
That post was part of a series on X in which the historian spoke favorably about the movie. On Monday, July 6, he posted:
On Wednesday, July 8, after responding to Musk, Tom Holland put out what he framed as his “last comment on this whole business. “If you like Nolan’s other films, you will love The Odyssey. If you didn’t like them, then miss it,” he wrote.
