Tom Holland has swearily revealed the extreme extent of the nerves he felt on his first day filming Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey.
Tom Holland has swearily revealed the extreme extent of the nerves he felt on his first day filming Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey
The actor, 30, said he became convinced he was “totally s***ing the bed” with his performance on set, admitting he feared Oscar-winning director Christopher was unhappy with his acting – before discovering repeated interruptions were caused not by his efforts, but by the technical limitations of IMAX cameras.
Tom Holland made the comments during a joint interview with Fandango alongside Christopher, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon ahead of the release of The Odyssey, an adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer.
Tom explained his opening sequence was both emotional and significant to the story, making the pressure of filming even greater.
He said: “You know, working with the Imax cameras for the first time is an experience.”
Addressing Christopher directly, he added: “It is unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I didn’t know that it only ran for three minutes.”
Tom recalled becoming increasingly anxious each time filming stopped.
He said: “So, I remember you would continue cutting, and I was with (co-star) Jon (Bernthal) like, ‘Why does he keep cutting? Why does he keep doing that?’”
He continued: “And I was like, in my head, I’m like, ‘Does he not like what we’re doing? Like, what is happening?’”
The actor said he later discovered there was a straightforward explanation.
He said: “And then I remember it was actually (stunt coordinator) George Cottle that was like, ‘No, no, no, there’s only three minutes in the mag’. I was like, ‘Oh, thank god’.”
Earlier in the conversation, Tom described the production as presenting “a lot of uncharted waters”, adding the scale of the sequence made it especially demanding.
He said: “I remember it was really challenging. It was a big scene.”
Reflecting on the end of his first day, Tom said Christopher’s encouragement helped settle his nerves.
He said: “We finished the day, you gave me a hug and a pat on the back, and when I left that day, it wasn’t until I left the set that I was like, ‘Oh, I can totally do this. I can swim in these waters.’”
In The Odyssey, Tom plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope in Greek mythology.
Matt portrays Odysseus, while Anne plays Penelope.
Lupita Nyong’o appears as both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, with Jon Bernthal portraying Menelaus. Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, Charlize Theron appears as Calypso, while the cast also includes Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, Travis Scott, Elliot Page and Zendaya as the goddess Athena.
The film is scheduled for release on 17 July and marks Christopher’s first feature since Oppenheimer won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and best director.
For Tom, the project also reunites him with his wife Zendaya after they shared the screen in the Spider-Man franchise, with the pair also set to reprise their roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Odyssey arrives after Christopher’s Oscar-winning success with Oppenheimer and follows months of discussion surrounding its first trailer, which prompted debate online over the American accents used by members of the ensemble cast, including Tom.
The actor, best known for playing Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man films, is also due to return as the superhero in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while he recently confirmed his marriage to Zendaya, 29, who also stars in The Odyssey.
Speaking about his first experience working with Christopher, Tom said: “My first day, for me, was probably one of the most daunting experiences of my career, just being a part of a movie of this scale and working with yourself, you know, and amazing co-stars.”
