Actress Lupita Nyong’o has sparked reactions online after saying she would ask Homer why he devoted so little time to the women in his work.

The actress, who plays both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, made the comment during an interview with Jake’s Takes on YouTube, when she was asked what she would say to the ancient Greek poet if she had the chance.

“Well, Homer, how do you feel about the amount of time that is spent with these women in the film, considering how little time you spent with them?” Nyong’o said.

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Her remark quickly drew criticism on social media, with some users accusing her of being dismissive of Homer’s work. Others pointed to an earlier interview in which the actress had admitted she knew little about The Odyssey before joining Nolan’s film.

“I really had no idea what The Odyssey was,” she had said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about this.’ So it was a crash course. I got the books and read them immediately. I have to thank this movie for my education in Greek mythology.”

In a separate interview with DC Film Girl, Nyong’o had described Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey as stories told largely from a male perspective.

“When you read The Iliad and The Odyssey, very little time is spent on the female perspective,” she said. “The story is told from a very masculine point of view. But this film takes the time to really look at things from the women’s point of view. And so we see, through Helen and Clytemnestra, how this war has affected them both.”

The comments prompted a wave of responses online. “She knows nothing about the power of Homer’s female characters, had no idea about Homer, and now she has an opinion,” one user wrote.

Another asked: “Has she ever read a book?”

A third added: “No one will remember her one day after her death, while everyone is still reading Homer 3,000 years later. Show some respect.”

Nolan’s The Odyssey, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, has already attracted intense attention thanks to its large cast and the director’s decision to revisit one of the foundational works of Western literature through a major Hollywood production.