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With the release and massive financial success of The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan has managed to further enshrine himself as not only one of the most popular filmmakers currently working, but perhaps even the current king of the Hollywood blockbuster landscape. Infused with plenty of clear influences and plenty of Nolan’s distinct auteurial vision, this grand adaptation of Homer‘s epic poem can already be counted among the best films of the 2020s so far.
It should come as no surprise, considering just how unprecedentedly large a cast ensemble it contains, that The Odyssey features several of the strongest and most memorable acting performances ever seen in a Christopher Nolan film. Not everyone in the cast delivers top-tier work, but eight actors in particular brought their absolute A-game, their performances standing out as some of the best that the fantasy epic genre has seen in years.
8
Himesh Patel as Eurylochus
From his leading role in Danny Boyle‘s Yesterday to his brief turn in Nolan’s Tenet, Himesh Patel has had plenty of opportunities to show that he’s a highly talented and versatile actor. Thankfully, The Odyssey gives him plenty more of those kinds of opportunities. He plays Eurylochus, Odysseus’ second in command. In Homer’s original poem, he’s more of an unpleasant troublemaker, whereas in Nolan’s version, his challenges of Odysseus’ decisions feel like they come from a place of true care and loyalty.
Patel brings a tremendous amount of depth and range to a role that often demands an awful lot of him, allowing Eurylochus to feel like a three-dimensional friend to Odysseus. The Odyssey is one of the best adventure movies since 2000, in large part, precisely because it allows its actors to imbue their characters with emotional layers beyond the mythical archetypes they’re supposed to represent. Patel succeeds at that task wonderfully, even if some of the other performers he shares scenes with outshine him at times.
7
Zendaya as Athena
Zendaya is one of those gargantuan stars who currently rule Hollywood, an actress who has come a long way since her Disney Channel days and is currently a box office magnet. She further demonstrates why she’s gotten to this point in The Odyssey, where she plays the goddess Athena, who protects Odysseus throughout his journey. Nolan also throws a brilliant twist regarding her character toward the end of the film, which completely recontextualizes Zendaya’s performance and makes it get better on rewatch.
With her participation in the Dune films, Zendaya is able to claim that she’s been in some of the best sci-fi epics of recent times. Now, with The Odyssey, she can say that she also starred in one of the best fantasy epics of the last 50 years. The script doesn’t give her a lot of dialogue to work with, but Zendaya elevates Athena’s character through her deeply meaningful facial expressions and powerfully understated demeanor.
6
Elliot Page as Sinon
A whopping 16 years after having shared the screen with stars as huge as Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception, Elliot Page returns to Nolan’s filmography in The Odyssey. Contrary to what the army of transphobic trolls over on Twitter claimed, Page plays Sinon, a character who actually originated not in the original Homeric text, but rather in Virgil‘s Aeneid. Nolan’s decision to bring that character over to his version of The Odyssey ended up being brilliant, because Sinon stands out as one of the film’s most memorable characters—largely thanks to Page.
It had been years since Page’s last appearance in a major mainstream motion picture, and what a return to form this is. The actor is only present in a few key scenes of the story, but he absolutely steals every single last one. The sequence in the Underworld particularly stands out, giving Page a chance to show off his emotional range and tremendously potent facial expressions in a scene that serves as a major turning point in the narrative, largely thanks to him.
5
Anne Hathaway as Penelope
Anne Hathaway reunites with Nolan after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar in The Odyssey, and this may very well be the meatiest and most emotionally complex role that the director has offered Hathaway thus far. Nolan has always struggled to craft three-dimensional, fully-rounded female characters, and even though Penelope (Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’ patient wife) isn’t really his best work in that department, Hathaway brings a level of depth to the role that those who love the source material should find captivating.
It’s arguably no small reason why The Odyssey is one of Nolan’s highest-rated movies on Letterboxd. Penelope often acts as the film’s beating heart, her fortitude and fierce sense of agency anchoring the emotional core perfectly, and that’s all in Hathaway’s credit. There’s a balance between poignant vulnerability and unbreakable strength in the actress’ performance that can’t have been easy to find, and the whole movie is all the better because of it.
4
John Leguizamo as Eumaeus
From family comedies like the Ice Age movies to meaty dramas like Carlito’s Way, John Leguizamo has proven on several occasions just how hugely versatile he can be, but his praises have often gone tragically unsung. That is no longer the case. If Leguizamo’s has been one of the most talked-about performances from The Odyssey, it’s for good reason, because this really is the most admirable work of his whole career.
As Eumaeus, Odysseus’ swineherd and unwaveringly loyal friend, Leguizamo gets to prove the surprising length of his dramatic chops without ever feeling out of place. The actor’s strong yet tender performance is crucial to the story’s emotional effect, not to mention the seamlessness of Leguizamo’s acting as a blind old man. Gentle yet impossible to ignore, the actor’s take on Eumaeus will likely go down in history as one of the most beloved performances in Nolan’s filmography.
3
Samantha Morton as Circe
Only the greats are able to take a very limited amount of screen time and hijack every last second of it. That must mean that Samantha Morton is one of the greats, because her brief yet unforgettable turn as Circe, the fearsome witch of the island of Aeaea, is a scene-stealer unlike any other performance a Nolan movie has ever had to offer. She’s central to a terrifying sequence that proves why this is one of Nolan’s best R-rated movies to date.
The mystery and hugely effective body horror of the entire Circe-centric section of The Odyssey largely relies on the quality of Nolan’s direction, but Morton’s performance is just as much to thank. Scary without ever going overboard into cartoonish territory, Morton adds so many layers of emotion and interpretation to Circe. Indeed, she ends up sticking out as one of the movie’s most memorable characters, despite the fact that she’s in it for a strikingly short amount of time.
2
Matt Damon as Odysseus
Reuniting with Nolan after their collaborations in Interstellar and Oppenheimer is Matt Damon. Taking on the gargantuan role of Odysseus, one of the most iconic heroes in the history of fiction, was a casting decision that drew deserved skepticism upon its announcement. Now that The Odyssey has been released into the world, however, even those who weren’t doubtful about Damon as Odysseus ended up having their expectations smashed.
Of course, it helps that the script gives Damon far more to work with than any other actor—but even in a vacuum, the star’s version of Odysseus is wonderfully compelling, nuanced, and multifaceted. Starring in one of his best movies about going home, Damon delivers what’s perhaps his best performance in decades. His Odysseus is a tortured, psychologically complicated man carrying the weight of guilt and trauma around for years, and Damon sells that just as well as he does the film’s moments of wonder and adventure.
1
Robert Pattinson as Antinous
Long gone are the days of Robert Pattinson being looked down on as “the sparkly guy from Twilight.” Across fields like voice acting in movies like The Boy and the Heron, indie cinema in masterpieces of the stature of The Lighthouse, and blockbusters like The Batman and Nolan’s own Tenet, Pattinson has established himself as one of the most chameleonic actors of his generation. In The Odyssey, he offers yet another transformational performance, this time as Antinous, Penelope’s sleaziest and most persistent suitor.
Antinous is the closest thing that The Odyssey has to a main antagonist, and Pattinson sells the part like an Oscar-nomination-worthy pro. Sneaky, cunning, and deliciously cowardly, the actor’s take on Antinous makes him a presence to look forward to every time the film cuts away from Penelope and her suitors. It’s the sort of performance that has everything: presence, depth, entertainment value, and an actor at the very top of his already-phenomenal game.
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Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
