The stars of The Odyssey may play a royal family on screen, but off-screen they sound more like a group of friends swapping stories at a reunion.
Ahead of the film’s July 17 release, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and director Christopher Nolan reflected on the adventure that brought Homer’s legendary tale to life—and one unexpected Zendaya moment stole the spotlight.
Holland admitted he hadn’t actually read The Odyssey when Nolan first pitched the project.
“I remember my brain scrambling when you told me the movie you were going to make, and I hadn’t read it,” the actor confessed.
“I was searching every corner of my brain for any bit of information to try and make myself look intelligent.”
Then came a scheduling problem. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was set to begin filming at the same time as Nolan’s epic.
“To be honest, when I got home after our meeting, I sat down with [partner Zendaya] and was like, ‘I’ve been offered this movie,’” Holland recalled.
When she asked who was directing it, Holland replied, “It’s the big one.”
Her response?
“Z said, ‘I’ll leave you if you don’t do The Odyssey.’”
“Well, thank you to her,” Nolan joked.
Meanwhile, Hathaway revealed she nearly needed a moment to process Nolan’s offer.
“When Chris told me that we were doing The Odyssey, I actually had to stand up and walk around and said, ‘I’m going to need a second.’”
The cast also laughed about their long history together, with Hathaway reminding Damon of their memorable first meeting.
“I first met you when you were shirtless in a freezing tank in a cold storage unit in L.A.,” she joked. “If that’s not a bonding experience, I’m not sure what is.”
For a film about surviving an epic journey, the cast clearly collected a few stories of their own.
