Meet 'The Odyssey’s' epic cast

An epic myth requires an epic cast to carry its weight. A filmmaker’s endeavor to translate Homer’s The Odyssey—the monumental scale of this hero’s journey and its mythos—onto the big screen is, by itself, a hero’s journey. A quick synopsis: The Odyssey follows the cunning Greek hero over the course of two decades, beginning with the Trojan War and culminating in his perilous quest to return home to Ithaca, where his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, await. On the way, he meets a volatile ensemble of gods, kings, beggars, and witches that will intervene at various stages of his … odyssey.

It’s not the first time this epic has been brought to the big screen. In 1954, the Italian director Mario Camerini accomplished this heroic feat with Ulysses, tapping heavy hitters Kirk Douglas and Silvana Mangano in the lead roles, while in 2000 the Coen brothers’ rendition, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou!, cast big names like George Clooney and Holly Hunter. This summer, Christopher Nolan embarks on a similar undertaking with his adaptation of the epic poem. Classics lovers and cinephiles alike will need a closer look at Nolan’s Homeric cast, a stacked roster spanning from the titular hero to the sea nymph.

There’s no Odyssey without Odysseus—and Christopher Nolan chose one of the action-drama genre’s most storied actors: Matt Damon. Nolan cast Damon twice before, first in a small role in Interstellar and again as the military director of the Manhattan Project in Oppenheimer. More than anything, Odysseus is a survivor; he evades the odious Poseidon as the god tries to kill him; he plugs his ears (and his crew’s ears) with wax to avoid the siren song; and, of course, he devised the Trojan Horse! (He’s smart but couldn’t do it without the help of one god. More on that later.) Damon refers to this as the “hardest” role he’s ever worked on.

No one—I mean, no one—is as loyal a spouse as Penelope. Left behind by Odysseus for (checks notes) 20 years, Penelope protects his kingdom and raises their son, Telemachus. The palace is packed with babbling idiots (the suitors, that is) trying to woo the queen of Ithaca, to no avail. She cunningly misleads the gaggle of suitors, telling them she will eventually marry them once she finishes Odysseus’s father’s burial shroud. (She just unravels it every night for three years—legend!) This is Hathaway’s third Nolan feature, after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.

We celebrate any chance for Tom Holland to show off his acting chops outside of his seemingly infinite tenure as Spider-Man. He plays Telemachus, Odysseus’s son and the other main character in the story. (The first four books of the Greek epic are often called “The Telemachy,” referring to his travels to find his father.) Because Nolan is (allegedly) sticking close to the source material, we can expect Holland to get some serious screen time.

Robert Pattinson often plays the troubled protagonist: the gentle vampire Edward Cullen, a nascent version of Batman, a petty criminal in Good Time, and the time-bending agent Neil in Nolan’s Tenet. But we’ve yet to see the British actor lean into his villainous side. That’s why we’re thrilled to see Pattinson embody Antinous, the conniving ringleader of Penelope’s suitors. From a reader’s perspective, Antinous is the most hated; he tries to kill Telemachus, so the feelings are well-deserved.

Lupita Nyong’o—the star of Us (2019) and 12 Years a Slave (2012)—plays dual roles in The Odyssey, as a pair of sisters: Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. Helen, as you may know, is the catalyst for the Trojan War. Her “kidnapping” is often debated; some think it’s forced, and others say she left her husband, Menelaus (the king of Sparta), voluntarily. But Nyong’o will also assume the role of Helen’s sister, Clytemnestra, married to Agamemnon. This bitter, vitriolic marriage ends with someone in Hades’s grasp.

Who better to guide Tom Holland’s Telemachus than the actor’s real-life wife? Zendaya assumes the role of Athena, the goddess of wisdom (and war). Without this goddess, our two heroes, Odysseus and his son, would’ve strayed far, far off-course, even within days—or minutes—of beginning their journey. Athena is their guide, constantly intervening on their behalf and often returning to Mount Olympus to advocate for them before the gods.

Benny Safdie picking up the mantle of Agamemnon is perhaps the most shocking casting choice in The Odyssey. One of the two Safdie brothers—known for Uncut Gems and other anxiety-inducing films—will portray the brutal king of the Achaean forces during the Trojan War. The character is often used by Homer as a counterpoint to Odysseus’s story, as the king who returns home from war, only to be killed by his wife. But the trailer shows Safdie wearing a badass black metal helmet adorned with a golden spine.

Brendan Gleeson brought Menelaus to life on screen in Troy (2004); now, another gruff legend, Jon Bernthal, will get a turn as the Spartan king. Menelaus is visited by Telemachus, who is on a quest to find his father, and offers him crucial information, confirming that Odysseus is alive. This lucky king is married to  Helen of Troy (the most beautiful woman in the world).

The word Calypso literally translates to “she who conceals,” which is what this beautiful sea nymph played by Charlize Theron literally does when she meets a shipwrecked Odysseus. She loves the Greek hero so much that she traps him on the island of Ogygia for seven years, enticing him with immortality if he chooses to stay on his own. He vehemently refuses (this is why Penelope is so loyal) and is finally freed by the messenger god Hermes. Theron, whose recent roles have been limited to throwaway action flicks and Fast and Furious instalments, makes her Nolan debut.

We’re just happy to see John Leguizamo here. The actor, known for popping up in everything from Ice Age to John Wick, plays Eumaeus—the most loyal, emotionally devoted subject in Odysseus’s palace. He works as a swineherd, raised alongside Odysseus among the royals with compassion. Though Eumaeus has known Odysseus his entire life, he still does not recognise the hero when he returns disguised (godly magic at play here), yet he offers him kindness. This is perhaps the only character with an ironclad sense of right and wrong.

Eurylochus can’t catch a break. During the voyage home to Ithaca, Odysseus’s second-in-command repeatedly steers the crew in the wrong direction, even if the pragmatic soldier is truly trying to protect his men. He questions Odysseus, often defying the hero, thinking his alternative will save the men. (This even drives a mutiny!) But these decisions lead to peril for Eurylochus and his men. Scholars (and casual readers) often debate whether Eurylochus is cowardly or simply human, driven to the edge by the catastrophes the crew faced. This is a major role for Himesh Patel, who first popped up in a Nolan story during Tenet (2020).

Melantho works as one of the maids in Odysseus’s palace, showing downright disdain for the royal family (and anyone loyal to him). Alongside her twin brother, Menthius (played by Logan Marshall-Green), Melantho serves as a dark foil to the king’s loyal servants. (She is also sleeping with one of Penelope’s suitors.) Mia Goth is perfect for this role, equipped with a filmography defined by sinister, often violent roles in movies such as Pearl (2022) and Infinity Pool (2023). These nefarious twins bully Odysseus when he returns to the palace disguised as a beggar. It does not go well.

Nolan is giving classical and history nerds a cameo by including Travis Scott as the narrator—or, to be exact, the bard! Homer’s The Odyssey endured three millennia through oral tradition. The Greek epic only survived through song and performance, passed down from generation to generation. By casting Scott, Nolan is suggesting rap is the spiritual ancestor to these oral traditions, and, well, he’s right! We can’t wait to listen to Scott retell the epic of Odysseus.

Who better than Bill Irwin to transform himself into Polyphemus the Cyclops (perhaps the most recognisable character in The Odyssey other than the titular hero)? Irwin worked with Nolan before on Interstellar, voicing the beloved, quippy soldier robot T.A.R.S., who accompanies McConaughey and Hathaway into space. Odysseus and his men encounter Polyphemus, leading to a very, very disturbing dinner for one. In the end, the Greek soldiers triumph; however, this angers a very, very dangerous father figure, Poseidon (whose casting we cannot wait to know).

This article is originally from harperbazaar.com in June 2026

Lead image: Everett

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