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Christopher Nolan says that The Odyssey<\/em> was going to live or die based on Samatha Morton\u2019s performance as Circe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n The filmmaker revealed that the Oscar-nominated actress earned a round of applause from the crew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Nolan\u2019s last memory of that happening on one of his films was Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The <\/a>Odyssey<\/em><\/a> cast<\/a> is stacked with heavy hitters, but only one actor evoked the type of reaction that Christopher Nolan<\/a> hadn\u2019t seen since Heath Ledger<\/a> and The Dark Knight<\/em>.<\/p>\n According to early reactions<\/a>, Nolan\u2019s upcoming adaptation of Homer\u2019s epic is stolen by two-time Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton<\/a>, who has just a few scenes as the goddess Circe.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a massive film and she is someone who comes in and changes the dynamic,\u201d Nolan told the <\/a>Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIn some weird way, the film lived or died over that character. She was the fulcrum. I\u2019ve always admired Samantha\u2019s work, she brings so much depth of thinking about her role, there are no limitations on her performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha Morton at the London photocall for \u2018The Odyssey\u2019Credit: Grant Buchanan\/Dave Benett\/WireImage<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The writer-director further revealed that, after one of Morton\u2019s takes, \u201cthe crew gave her a round of applause.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking with Emma [Thomas],\u201d Nolan said of his wife and producing partner, \u201cand she remembered that the last time that had happened was with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n In the 2008 Batman sequel, Ledger stunned as the unpredictable Joker, a performance for which the late Australian actor won a posthumous Oscar.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n In the United States, Morton doesn\u2019t have the same name recognition as her movie star colleagues, but she\u2019s long been recognized as a great performer. Early in her career, Morton was nominated for two Oscars: Best Supporting Actress for 1999\u2019s Sweet and Lowdown<\/em> and Best Actress in 2003\u2019s In America<\/em>.<\/p>\n Morton\u2019s other memorable credits include Jane Eyre;<\/em>Minority Report;<\/em>Synecdoche, New York;<\/em>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them;<\/em> and The Walking Dead<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Odyssey<\/em> stars Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, and Zendaya, who Damon previously revealed garnered quite the praise<\/a> from Nolan as well.<\/p>\n Damon is the face of The Odyssey<\/em> as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, whom the film follows on his 10-year trek home following the Trojan War. In Homer\u2019s text, Odysseus visits Circe\u2019s island of Aeaea and ends up having two sons with her.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are mythological figures, iconic in some ways,\u201d Nolan said of his casting process. \u201cI wanted to cast it big, get the finest bunch of actors.\u201d<\/p>\n