NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Haven鈥檛 cracked since high school? Don鈥檛 worry, you don鈥檛 need a classics degree to understand adaptation. One of his primary goals was to make it accessible and relatable to a modern audience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we all know a little bit about, some of us know a lot about it, some of us know nothing about it,鈥� Nolan told The Associated Press. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making the film for that whole range of people鈥檚 relationship with this foundational text of this incredible story.鈥�
But, just in case, here鈥檚 a little primer on who is playing who in 鈥淭he Odyssey.鈥� The film .
Matt Damon (Odysseus)
The King of Ithaca and the mastermind behind the Trojan Horse trick that ended the war, Odysseus鈥檚 long journey home to reclaim his kingdom and reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, whom he left as a baby, is central to the poem.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a very complicated protagonist, which I love, and Chris reveals how and why in his way, and a lot becomes clear by the end of the movie, which explains a lot of how he鈥檚 behaving at the beginning,鈥� Damon said. 鈥淚 think for a story that鈥檚 this big, it鈥檚 wonderful to have a character that鈥檚 very human at the center. He鈥檚 certainly not perfect. And he鈥檚 living with the consequences of his actions. And that鈥檚 dictating his behavior.鈥�
Anne Hathaway (Penelope)
The Queen of Ithaca, Penelope has been waiting for the return of her husband Odysseus for 20 years while over 100 men (the suitors) take up residency in the palace, eating their food and drinking their wine, hoping that she鈥檒l marry one of them. She鈥檚 also been the subject of debate for thousands of years, an enigmatic character who every generation projects their own views on.
鈥淪he鈥檚 probably the most well- known character that I鈥檝e ever played. But we only know her as far as we can see,鈥� Hathaway said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to negate anything that anyone had ever felt about Penelope, that she was, you know, the picture of modesty, she鈥檚 a paragon of patience, all of those things. But a paragon isn鈥檛 a person. And so I thought, OK, so let鈥檚 allow that that鈥檚 the way the world sees her. Who is she when no one鈥檚 looking?鈥�
Tom Holland (Telemachus)
Odysseus鈥檚 only child, Telemachus, hasn鈥檛 seen his father since he was a baby. Now grown and with the threat of the suitors intensifying, he goes on his own journey to find more information about his missing father. The two quests provide parallel narratives in the film, which Nolan said is part 鈥渉omecoming鈥� and part 鈥渃oming-of-age鈥� story.
鈥淭here are times where it feels like you鈥檙e on this kind of action-adventure roller coaster, but he doesn鈥檛 sacrifice any of the heart and the intimacy between our characters,鈥� Holland said.
Although Telemachus has yet to meet his father as a grown man, Holland added: 鈥淭hroughout the film, there鈥檚 this real sense of connection between the two of us.鈥�
Robert Pattinson (Antinous)
In the poem, there are 108 suitors vying for Penelope鈥檚 hand (and the Ithacan throne), including Antinous who in the film is the main antagonist on the homefront. Nolan said Pattinson unleashed 鈥渉is inner Alan Rickman鈥� to play the part.
鈥淭he thing he really focused on was this idea of his relationship to Telemachus. He鈥檚 continually saying to Telemachus, 鈥業鈥檓 going to be your stepdad, I鈥檒l be your daddy.鈥� It was such a fascinatingly creepy and amusing basis for villainy,鈥� Nolan said. 鈥淚 just love how Rob based it on real world things, real truths about his character and who he is, and the cowardly nature of that. I think cowardice is one of the hardest things for actors, particularly movie stars, to play.鈥�
Zendaya (Athena)
The goddess of 鈥渃raft, warfare and wisdom鈥� and the daughter of Zeus, Athena appears to Odysseus from time to time throughout the story.
鈥淚 was like how do I bring to life what is a, you know, a goddess,鈥� Zendaya laughed. 鈥淏ut I think so much of it was in the story and the way he鈥檚 telling it. I think the humanity of it and bringing that more human element to this idea of a goddess but what they kind of represent to Odysseus in this story. The lessons that they鈥檙e teaching him and why she presents the way she does and in the moments that she does, I think, ultimately, are teaching him a lesson and guiding him through something that鈥檚 very difficult.鈥�
Lupita Nyong鈥檕 (Helen and Clytemnestra)
The Oscar-winner plays both Helen, the queen of Sparta and occupant of the 鈥渇ace that launched a thousand ships,鈥� who is married to Menelaus, and her sister Clytemnestra, who is married to Agamemnon.
鈥淗e (Nolan) mentioned his interest in telling this story and really not shying away from the cost of war, actually investigating and exploring it, and so as such with Helen鈥檚 character, it鈥檚 like she鈥檚 known to be the reason for this war. Is that even really true?鈥� Nyong鈥檕 said. 鈥淲hat is her life after the war? I love that we get a glimpse of that, and we really get to see the cost of everything. The rage, resentment, guilt, shame, disappointment, endurance of it all.
Charlize Theron (Calypso)
A nymph in Greek mythology, Odysseus spends a long period of his journey home with her on the island of Ogygia. Her motivations have been the source of much debate over the years.
John Leguizamo (Eumaeus)
An Ithacan swineherd who is loyal to Odysseus even after many have given up on his return.
鈥淗e (Nolan) told me it was the most loyal character in Western literature,鈥� Leguizamo said. 鈥淚 was like, oh, OK, that鈥檚 a lot of responsibility.鈥�
In the film, Eumaeus is nearly blind, which, Leguizamo said, is a nod to Homer, who some historians believe was blind.
Jon Bernthal (Menelaus)
The King of Sparta and husband of Helen, who tells Telemachus what he remembers about Odysseus while they fought together in the Trojan War.
Benny Safdie (Agamemnon)
The King of Mycenae, husband of Clytemnestra, and commander of the Greek army during the Trojan War
Samantha Morton (Circe)
A powerful sorceress who encounters Odysseus and his men on their journey home.
Himesh Patel (Eurylochus)
Odysseus鈥檚 second-in-command who is there for many of the obstacles on their journey to Ithaca, from the cave of the Cyclops to Hades.
鈥淥苍 鈥� I popped in and, you now, flew, or drove, a plane to a building and then left 鈥� Whereas on this, I was there by Matt鈥檚 side, you know almost the entire shoot,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of the most physically challenging role I鈥檝e ever played.鈥�
Elliot Page (Sinon)
Sinon, a character in Greek mythology who appears in the 鈥淎eneid,鈥� is a veteran of the Trojan War.
Bill Irwin (Cyclops)
Poseidon鈥檚 son also encounters Odysseus and his men on their journey home. Nolan and production designer used Francisco Goya鈥檚 painting 鈥淪aturn Devouring His Son鈥� as inspiration for the design, but it was the actor (also behind the 鈥� robots) who helped give the character its soul.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know how we were gonna achieve it. We knew we were going to need every trick in the book, from animatronics to puppetry to computer graphics. But I knew I needed a performer to really look at it and help us find the design of it and find how this character would live and move and so forth,鈥� Nolan said. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 treat the Cyclops as just a monster. And that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e very much picked up from the work of my friend Guillermo del Toro over the years. You know, Guillermo is someone who鈥檚 chief lesson, I think, in his work is a monster is never just a monster.鈥�
Mia Goth (Melantho)
A servant of Queen Penelope.
Corey Hawkins (Polybus)
One of Penelope鈥檚 suitors.
Travis Scott
A bard in the court of Ithaca.
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