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Tom Holland supported Zendaya on set during her pivotal scene in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey
Holland revealed Nolan personally asked for his blessing to cast Zendaya as Athena, her favorite movie role to date
The couple read the screenplay together before filming and described working with Nolan as a “wild experience”
Tom Holland was on hand to support Zendaya while she filmed a pivotal scene in The Odyssey.
In an interview with CTV’s E Talk, Holland, 30, was asked if his character Telemachus received any “wisdom” from Zendaya’s character, the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena.
“Matt Damon [as Odysseus] got enlightenment from Zendaya, and you didn’t, not once,” a reporter asked the actor.
“There is a scene where you are both in the same room though,” Anne Hathaway, who plays Holland’s on-screen mother Penelope, chimed in.
“We were in the same room,” Holland replied. “And I was also in … I was there when she shot her big massive scene during the siege of Troy.”
Tom Holland is Telemachus in THE ODYSSEY
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
The Spider-Man actor recalled wearing “sweatpants and a hoodie like hiding in the corner, just enjoying” Zendaya’s performance.
“Literally I was like ‘I’m here if you need me,’ ” Holland said of the special on-set moment. “It was a wild experience for both of us, you know?”
Holland said he enjoyed being on set with other first-time Nolan collaborators as they experienced working with Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan.
“[There were] veterans, that we could be like you know ‘Am I doing a good job? Like I don’t know what’s happening,’ ” Holland said of working with Nolan. “But it was an amazing experience. And you know, Z feels the same.”
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The Odyssey, composed by the Greek poet Homer, was transcribed circa 750-850 BC, according to the BBC. The story follows the arduous journey of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, as he makes his way home following 10 years of warfare. The ancient epic also includes appearances from various ancient Greek deities, and has been translated into English over 100 times, according to the outlet.
Holland recently opened up about the unique way he learned he and Zendaya would be working together in the film. In a recent interview alongside costar Robert Pattinson for Access Hollywood, he revealed that Nolan, 55, asked him about recruiting his now-wife to join the cast.
“It was such a gift because I know how much she’s admired Chris. Interstellar is her favorite movie,” Holland said.
Holland shared that the pair originally read the screenplay for The Odyssey together after he was cast in 2024. When Holland met with Nolan to discuss the project, he said the filmmaker asked him, “‘Do you mind if I ask you a question, and please don’t be offended by my asking.’ And I thought he was going to ask if we could put lifts in my shoes or something.”
“I didn’t know what he was going to say, and he went, ‘Would you be offended if I asked Zendaya to play Athena?’ And I was like ‘Why would I be offended?’ ” Holland added. “I said ‘I would be honored, that’s amazing. I’m sure she would love to.’ “
The Odyssey hits theaters July 17.
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