{"id":536878,"date":"2026-07-07T04:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T04:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/536878\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T04:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T04:39:07","slug":"unusual-way-zendaya-found-out-she-was-up-for-a-prime-role-in-the-odyssey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/536878\/","title":{"rendered":"Unusual Way Zendaya Found Out She Was Up For A Prime Role In ‘The Odyssey’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tZendaya<\/a> may play the all-knowing goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan\u2019s epic adaptation of The Odyssey<\/a>, but the actress was not nearly so omniscient about her casting in the film. In fact, she didn\u2019t even know she was up for it.<\/p>\n

\n\tTurns out, it was her husband who told her.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was already excited,\u201d she said on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, because husband Tom Holland<\/a> had landed a major role in the film. \u201cI was already on Cloud Nine for him.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tZendaya continued<\/a>, \u201cAnd then he came home and said, \u2018I need you to read something.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Is it that thing we were just reading the other night?\u2019 And he was like [nods head], \u2018But now read it thinking of this character [Athena].\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Shut up! You\u2019re joking!\u2019 It was pretty cool.<\/p>\n

\n\tHolland gave Access Hollywood his side of the story. He also related what it was like to get to tell his wife she was up for the role.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was such a gift because I know how much she\u2019s admired Chris. Interstellar is her favorite movie,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cI could never express to Chris how grateful I am to be able to give her that information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor, who plays Odysseus\u2019 son Telemachus, then revealed that he and Zendaya had read the script together the night before his meeting, which he then realized was likely a violation of the famously-secretive director\u2019s protocol.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt my meeting with Chris he asked me a question. He said, \u2018Would you be offended if I asked Zendaya to play Athena?\u2019 I was like, \u2018Why would I be offended?\u2019 And then I asked him, \u2018Do you want me to tell her.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Yeah.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd I went home and I said, \u2018You should read the script again.\u2019 And she said, i already read it. And I said, \u2018Just read it again, but read Athena really closely.\u2019 And the little corners of her mouth [makes a smile on his own face]. It was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n