‘The Odyssey’ Stars Explain the Intense Timing Constraints of Christopher Nolan’s IMAX Epic

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s bold new adaptation of Homer’s enduring epic that chronicles the perilous 10-year voyage of King Odysseus (Matt Damon) from the Trojan War to his home on the island of Ithaca. Once again, Nolan pushes the limits of his favored format, capturing the star-studded feature in IMAX 70mm, in a blockbuster that critics are calling “a filmmaking feast.”

In addition to Damon, The Odyssey stars Academy Award-winner Anne Hathaway as Queen Penelope and Tom Holland as his son, Telemachus, as well as Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, and John Leguizamo. The sweeping production was filmed across the world, entirely in IMAX, capturing the fraught journey with groundbreaking technology for a tale deserving of one of the largest screens in the world.

In this interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra in the film, and Emmy Award nominee Himesh Patel, who plays Eurylochus, Odysseus’s second-in-command and brother-in-law, chat with us about the singular filmmaking experience of working with Nolan on his most massive feature to date. They discuss how Nolan recreates Ancient Greece, adapting and performing for IMAX, and how The Odyssey changed them as actors.

How Christopher Nolan Transported Himesh Patel and Lupita Nyong’o Back in Time

“He’s not prescriptive, except for when he has to be.”

COLLIDER: The movie’s incredible. You’re both fantastic in it. I wish everyone could see it the way I saw it, in IMAX 70mm. It is jaw-dropping. It’s just a whole other level. I’m curious if you can reveal how Chris built the time machine that took you back to Ancient Greece to film on location?

HIMESH PATEL: That’s a secret. We can’t really get into that. Well, I’ll tell you how he built the time machine. He surrounded himself with some of the best production designers, costume designers, cinematographer, the amazing people who all brought this together to create that world. That’s what he did.

I have been on a Chris Nolan set, but I haven’t been close enough to hear him direct. For both of you, can you share a moment where he directed you in such a way that made you reinterpret the scene, or gave you really good guidance on how you wanted to play something? How does he like to collaborate in a small moment, if you could share?

LUPITA NYONG’O: I think he’s just economical with what he shares and says to you. He gives you a note, and it’s succinct, and it inspires a new thought, and then you just do it. He’s not prescriptive, except for when he has to be, especially because we were working with IMAX and you have two and a half minutes. So sometimes we were going too long, and you’ve just got to tighten it up. So yeah, he’s very economical with his notes, but they’re exact.

PATEL: Yeah, I agree. The economy is definitely the thing. He doesn’t feel the need to give you a note unless it’s something specific and necessary, and I actually really appreciate that because you can tell sometimes when a director doesn’t really have anything more to say other than, “Let’s just go again and see what happens,” and they feel like they have to. It’s like, “I’m good, but if you say ‘just go again,’ let’s just go again.” And I really like that. All it means is, “Okay, he wants to go again, and let’s try something new.” But then when he does give you a note, it’ll be exactly what you needed to hear.

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Pushing IMAX to the Absolute Limit

“It doesn’t matter the size of the role. For me, it’s about the impact.”

Image via Universal Pictures

This is such an anomaly, making a movie of this scale and size, and making a whole movie in IMAX 70mm. It has to be one of those “I can’t believe I was a part of it” moments. How did it change you as an actor or as a person, being a part of something like this, and make you think about what you want to do in the future? Because again, this is just one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments.

PATEL: I just felt so grateful to be a part of it every day, getting to create what we were creating and seeing how hard everyone was working. Because what he does on his sets and what he and Emma [Thomas] do, I suppose, they democratize everything. No one gets preferential treatment. We’re all in the thick of it together, and that really highlights for you how hard everyone’s working, because you don’t get to leave and be blind to it. You’re present at all times, seeing everyone’s work, and that really made me feel grateful that I get to do this as a job, and that I get to be around all these wonderful technicians and artists, and all these different people who make it happen.

NYONG’O: It just reinforced for me that it doesn’t matter the size of the role. For me, it’s about the impact. This was another moment where my roles together are small in terms of how much screen time I have, but I felt very additive to the process. They’re small but mighty. So, I’m going to stay true to looking for those impactful roles.

I loved the IMAX of it all, but I’m fascinated by the way they built this blimp to keep the sound quiet, and this mirror system. I’m not sure how much you guys worked with the mirrors. What can you say about working with this new camera in the blimp?

PATEL: I didn’t use the mirrors. Did you use the mirrors?

NYONG’O: I think I did. I don’t remember. Honestly, there’s so much going on, and the IMAX, you are beholden to this thing. My approach was, “Let them handle the technical and let me just focus on my performance as best I can.”

PATEL: I was just always amazed by the camera team, like how quickly they worked when they were reloading the camera.

NYONG’O: It was a dance.

PATEL: If something went wrong, really, their technical prowess is unmatched.

The Odyssey opens in theaters and IMAX on July 17.

Advertisement

Release Date

Advertisement

July 17, 2026

Runtime

172 Minutes

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement