The anti-DEI crowd claimed the casting of Elliot Page and Lupita Nyong'o would sink the film.
A personal caveat: While the mental gymnastics of the right-wing are as ridiculous, as they infuriating; it also needs to be said that Christopher Nolan is anything but a leftist. This article here does a good job to delve into Nolan's political bend.
I'm sure these casting choices were more for publicity boost than for the perfect actor for the perfect supporting role. Prerelease exposure to get non-cinemaphiles talking about the film at all is gold in Hollywood.