Tom Holland on Filming The Odyssey with Nolan

TL;DR

Tom Holland accepted his role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey immediately, then helped rearrange the Spider-Man schedule so he could participate. He describes enormous practical sets, thousands of costumed performers, hundreds of boats, and demanding fight scenes with Matt Damon, while also recalling how soccer star Erling Haaland ignored his invitation to dinner.

Transcript

-What's up, New York?! -Yeah, that's right! Come on, now. We love you. Welcome back to the show. It's always great to see you. I want to get into "The Odyssey." It is epic. It's fantastic. Before we get into the film, I got to talk to you about the World Cup. -Okay, let's get into it. -Because I know you're -- you're from England. You're an England... Read More

Key Insights

• Tom Holland's unanswered message to Erling Haaland began after Holland saw the soccer player from another hospitality suite while watching Lewis race in Monaco. He proposed dinner but received no response, which he characterized as an important and humbling experience for an actor.
• Christopher Nolan's initial offer remained mysterious because Holland's agents guessed that the project was either a vampire film or an ensemble space film. Holland flew from London to Los Angeles, met Nolan at his home, and eventually heard the concise pitch, The Odyssey.
• Holland accepted the role immediately despite having little familiarity with the original poem. After reading both the poem and Nolan's script, he recognized the story's broad influence on cinema and felt pressure to arrive prepared for decisions that worldwide audiences would eventually see.
• The Spider-Man production schedule had to move because its planned start coincided with The Odyssey. Holland credits Tom Rothman with making the adjustment, saying that without Rothman's cooperation he would not have been able to participate in Nolan's film.
• The Morocco set relied on a vast physical production environment, including thousands of costumed performers, hundreds of boats, and a Trojan horse sitting in the water. Holland initially struggled to locate the crew because the landscape was dominated by actors and practical staging.
• Matt Damon established the working standard as the first name on the call sheet by combining strong acting with exceptional effort and a consistently positive attitude. Holland says nobody could complain because Damon worked harder than everyone else while continuing to smile.
• Holland's Jason Bourne moment occurred while he watched Damon perform a rehearsed fight inside a quarry that had been set on fire. Seeing Damon's movements prompted Holland to recognize the action persona associated with his colleague, making their eventual fight scene especially memorable.
• The Odyssey follows Odysseus across a 10-year journey from Troy toward his family while Telemachus and Penelope endure a 10-year occupation of their home by hostile suitors. Holland plays Telemachus, Damon plays Odysseus, and Anne Hathaway plays Penelope.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did Erling Haaland ignore Tom Holland's message?

Tom Holland says he messaged Erling Haaland after seeing him from a nearby hospitality suite in Monaco while watching Lewis race. The account discussed during the interview says Haaland did not know who Holland was because he does not watch movies and assumed the message came from a random person. Holland received no reply, excuse, or explanation and called the experience humbling.

Q: How did Tom Holland get cast in The Odyssey?

Holland received a call from his agents and flew from London to Los Angeles the following day to meet Christopher Nolan at Nolan's home. After about an hour of conversation, Nolan finally described the project with the two-word pitch, The Odyssey. Holland accepted the opportunity immediately, took the script home, and returned the next day after being impressed by both the screenplay and his role.

Q: What did Tom Holland know about The Odyssey before accepting the role?

Holland admits that he had not read The Odyssey when Christopher Nolan first named the project. He could recall that the story involved a cyclops but knew little else, and he initially pronounced Telemachus incorrectly. After reading the poem and the screenplay, he understood how strongly the story had influenced Western cinema and cinema more broadly, which increased his sense of responsibility.

Q: How did The Odyssey affect the Spider-Man schedule?

The planned start of The Odyssey overlapped with the start date for Spider-Man, so Holland had to contact the studio and seek a schedule change. He specifically thanks Tom Rothman for moving Spider-Man, explaining that this adjustment allowed him to join Christopher Nolan's production. Holland recognizes that choosing between those two major projects was a fortunate kind of scheduling problem.

Q: What were the practical sets for The Odyssey like?

Holland describes arriving at the Morocco location and feeling as though he had traveled back in time. Beyond a hill, he encountered thousands of people in costume, hundreds of boats, a Trojan horse in the water, and many large performers carrying swords and shields. The scale was so extensive that he initially could not identify where the actual crew was located.

Q: What was it like for Tom Holland to work with Matt Damon?

Holland calls Damon an ideal leader for the production and praises both his performance and his behavior on set. Damon worked harder than anyone else while maintaining a smile, which meant other participants had little basis for complaining. Holland says he learned a great deal by observing Damon and viewed the chance to watch him work with Christopher Nolan as a surreal privilege.

Q: Why did Tom Holland call a fight scene a Jason Bourne moment?

Holland had rehearsed a fight sequence for weeks before watching Matt Damon perform his portion in a quarry where the production had set the surroundings on fire. While standing with a friend who served as the stunt coordinator, Holland recognized Damon's familiar action presence and remarked that he was watching Jason Bourne. The realization added excitement and pressure to their shared fight work.

Q: Who does Tom Holland play in The Odyssey, and what is the story?

Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope. Matt Damon portrays Odysseus, while Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope. Holland summarizes the story as Odysseus leaving the beach at Troy and attempting to return to his family during a 10-year adventure. Meanwhile, Telemachus and Penelope face a 10-year home invasion by powerful suitors whom Telemachus cannot simply kill without consequences.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tom Holland confirms that he messaged Erling Haaland after spotting him from a hospitality suite while watching Lewis race in Monaco. Haaland never replied to the dinner invitation, an experience Holland describes as a useful dose of humility for an actor, although he continues to praise the soccer player as a legend.

• Holland recalls flying from London to Los Angeles to meet Christopher Nolan after his agents incorrectly speculated that the project might involve vampires or space. Nolan eventually revealed the two-word pitch, The Odyssey. Holland accepted immediately, loved the script, and worked with Tom Rothman to move the Spider-Man production schedule.

• Filming in Morocco immersed Holland in a vast practical environment containing thousands of costumed people, hundreds of boats, and a Trojan horse in the water. He praises Matt Damon's leadership and work ethic, remembers recognizing Jason Bourne while watching Damon perform a fiery quarry fight, and calls the production a career highlight.