After much anticipation, The Odyssey has finally arrived in cinemas – and if reviews are anything to go by, it might just be the film of the summer. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the Greek epic follows the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he embarks on a strenuous journey home after the Trojan War – and boasts an equally epic cast, including the likes of Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Zendaya and Tom Holland.
In the film, Zendaya takes on the role of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in a bumper year that has seen her star in The Drama, Euphoria Season 3, Spider-Man: Brand New Day as well as Dune: Part Three (it’s no wonder she recently said she plans to take a break from press tours once it’s all over).
The Odyssey also marks the first time Zendaya has worked with Nolan, and she opened up about it in a cover interview with ELLE. Find out what she had to say below, as well as thoughts from Nolan about working with the actor and comments from her co-stars, including the time the legendary director gave her a rare ‘perfect’ on set.
Zendaya on working with Christopher Nolan
‘When you watch someone like [Christopher] Nolan, or Luca [Guadagnino], it makes me think, ”Who am I to think that I can do that?”’ she said to ELLE’s Alexis Okeowo, while talking about her fear of ‘not being good enough’ to direct. ‘I sure hope I can grow up and just do it and not be so afraid.’
The actor said she once forgot her lines while on set with Nolan during a particularly jam-packed time – something she cringes at remembering. ‘I remember being on set for Euphoria; it was a night shoot at a ranch,’ she said. ‘I was so tired, but I was also learning my Chakobsa lines for Dune. And then I started writing out my lines to memorise for that quick turnaround trip I was going to make to Iceland [for The Odyssey]. It’s not like I have a lot of lines in The Odyssey, but I was working with Christopher Nolan! The most embarrassing thing in life would be messing up my lines, which did happen once.’
Roy Rochlin//Getty Images
Christopher Nolan on working with Zendaya
However, the director had nothing but praise for the star. Talking to ELLE, Nolan said: ‘We would be in the maddest, craziest situations, just all of us fighting the elements, tearing our hair out, all these things going on, and Zendaya would sort of parachute in from her other job with this sense of true grace and poise.’
Nolan said that he sought out Zendaya for the role specifically because of her ‘iconic’ grace. ‘I mean, she’s literally playing a goddess; it’s a tall order,’ he said. ‘She’s a true movie star, but also an incredible actor.’
Matt Damon on working with Zendaya
Matt Damon, Zendaya’s co-star in The Odyssey, recounted a time on set when Nolan expressed his awe of the actor. ‘Chris is known for being very circumspect. So when you do a take, it’s not like he says, ”That was great.” He’ll go, ”Yep, good. Okay.” And that is the equivalent of the greatest praise you could ever get,’ Damon said to ELLE.
He continued: ‘Zendaya, on the other hand – there were takes where she did one thing, she did this amazing scene, and he said, ”Cut.” And then he went, ”Perfect.” And literally, Tom [Holland] and I were obsessed with this. She got a ”perfect’? I’ve never even gotten a ”great”. She got a ”perfect”? He and I bitched about it for the entire rest of the film. ”Did you get anything today?” ”No, I got a ‘good’ -moving on”.’
ELLE Collective is a community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well as the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Chiara Wilkinson is the Deputy Multiplatform Editor of ELLE UK, looking after the Culture + Life section on the website. She was previously Deputy Editor at Time Out and Senior Digital Editor at ArtReview and has written for British Vogue, The Guardian and Vice, covering arts, culture, wellness and travel. Chiara was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 awards and was shortlisted for Best Features Writer at the BSME awards.