ATHENS, Greece (AP) 鈥� opens Friday, to global anticipation and some controversy over his casting choices 鈥� but what do Greeks think?
Conversation about adaptations often revolves around how closely they follow a source text. But in a country where Homer鈥檚 story is taught and retold at all schools, many point to how the epic has been kept alive for nearly 3,000 years: not despite reinvention, but because of it.
鈥淲hat we want children to understand is that every new creation is exactly that 鈥� a new creation,” Filippos Mantzaris, who teaches 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥� to seventh graders, told The Associated Press.
The film, starring Matt Damon as King Odysseus and a follows Homer鈥檚 outline: The king’s return home from war through gods and monsters to find a palace overrun by rivals.
Students grow up interpreting Homer
In seventh grade, 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥� is taught in all Greek classrooms.
In Mantzaris鈥� class, students eagerly debate Odysseus鈥� encounters with monsters and other adventures. They are taught to compare the hero鈥檚 intelligence with his strength, ask whether revenge is moral, whether the battle-hardened king is truly a role model, and whether his killing of his wife鈥檚 suitors is justified. Role-playing exercises encourage children to imagine what they would do in Odysseus鈥� place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing literary text, with which children can identify, perhaps see Odysseus in themselves, but also see their own homeland,鈥� Mantzaris said.
Kyriakos Agapiou, 12, said reading the poem in Mantzaris鈥� class taught him: 鈥淭hat everything is possible and we should never give up.鈥�
Farm scientist Nikos Varelas attended a stage adaptation with his 4-year-old son, after the pair read youth versions of both 鈥淭he Iliad鈥� and 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥� together.
鈥淚t is our duty as parents, as Greeks,鈥� Varelas said.
Interpreting the story as theater, said actor Manos Pintzis, who portrayed Odysseus in the local production, helps children discover mythology in a way books alone cannot.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 tell a child, 鈥楯ust read the story because you have to,鈥� because the child will resist when something is forced on them,鈥� Pintzis said. 鈥淲hen the child sees all of this unfolding before their eyes 鈥� that becomes a valuable step toward learning, to willingly learn what they鈥檙e expected to study.鈥�
Greeks are used to foreigners playing their heroes
In conservative circles in the U.S., much of the attention has focused on Nolan鈥檚 casting choices rather than his adaptation of Homer鈥檚 story.
Elon Musk claimed Nolan had desecrated 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥� after Black actor was picked as Helen of Troy 鈥� despite not having seen the movie. Conservative commentators including Matt Walsh argued the film prioritized identity politics, echoing past fan criticisms of sci-fi and fantasy reboots that cast Black and Latino actors as beloved characters of a different race or ethnicity.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Nolan said backlash 鈥渃omes with the territory,鈥� adding 鈥渢hese conversations that happen before people see the film 鈥� they鈥檙e always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet.鈥�
Nolan told the AP he wanted to make the film accessible and relatable, and 鈥渘ot look back to sort of past Hollywood versions of how to take on the ancient world.鈥�
鈥淵ou want to question people鈥檚 assumptions about how things should be portrayed in movies and what those are based on,” he said of his overall approach to the film. “There鈥檚 a challenge to that and a risk to that. But my hope is that by creating a cohesive world, people understand the world as they watch the movie and they feel they understand it.鈥�
The controversy hasn’t found much purchase in Greece, where people are used to foreigners playing ancient Greeks.
Scotsman Gerard Butler bellowed 鈥淭his is Sparta!鈥� as King Leonidas in 鈥�300.鈥� Oklahoma-born played Achilles in 鈥淭roy.鈥� Ireland鈥檚 Colin Farrell starred as Alexander the Great alongside Angelina Jolie as his mother.
Anthony Quinn鈥檚 performance in 鈥淶orba the Greek鈥� way back in 1964 remains one of Greece鈥檚 most beloved screen portrayals of a Greek character.
Nolan鈥檚 version continues the tradition with a star-filled cast including Nyong鈥檕, Damon, Tom Holland, , Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, with narration from rapper Travis Scott.
In Greece, the small nationalist party Niki objected to the casting and a Greek government decision to provide roughly 6 million euros ($6.9 million) in subsidies to support local production. The party said Greek taxpayers were funding an imposition of 鈥渨oke-type ideology鈥� on Greek history and cultural identity, citing Musk.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni offered a blunt rebuttal.
鈥淚t is not the state鈥檚 role to dictate to a creator how they should artistically interpret a work or a myth,鈥� she told the Greek popular culture magazine, Lifo. 鈥淐an we seriously be having a conversation about whether the state should censor Christopher Nolan?鈥�
History鈥檚 great stories survive through retelling
Christos Tsagalis, professor of ancient Greek literature at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said it’s ultimately up to moviegoers to judge whether the latest interpretation of 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥� works. What matters, he said, is whether it captures something fundamental about one of history鈥檚 great stories.
Homer鈥檚 works 鈥� retold and reinterpreted across generations 鈥� have endured by becoming universal, he said.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 wonderful that something that is created at a specific point in time by a given people is shared by so many people across the globe … It鈥檚 shared culture,鈥� Tsagalis said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fascinating story,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is like a movie.鈥�
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