A member of the star-filled cast of The Odyssey revealed in a new interview that he initially had to pass on the Christopher Nolan movie. However, he ultimately did end up playing an important character.
Logan Marshall-Green reveals how an unexpected second chance led him to The Odyssey
Logan Marshall-Green spoke in detail about his casting as Melanthius in The Odyssey during an interview with Collider Forces. He disclosed that he had put himself on tape after learning that Nolan was adapting the Odyssey. He even got a callback but ultimately had to turn down the project because it required him to travel to Los Angeles, which was grappling with wildfires at the time.
“L.A. was on fire, and I had some reps who were dealing with it directly. And, I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” Marshall-Green explained. “It was a dream-come-true callback … but I couldn’t do it, and I said no to the callback.”
Marshall-Green didn’t find out what role he would have played if he had accepted. Two months later, he was “kicking” himself and “having second thoughts” about the decision. This is when he got a call from his people asking him to get to Italy in 48 hours to star in The Odyssey.
This time, the Marshals actor said yes. “I was available,” Marshall-Green elaborated. “I’d been saying no to some stuff, thank God. And yeah, I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there.’” He replaced Shōgun star Cosmo Jarvis, who left the movie due to a scheduling conflict (via Deadline).
Notably, in Nolan’s adaptation, Melanthius and Mia Goth’s Melantho are twins. Melanthius is a disloyal cowherd who betrays Odysseus’ family and later arms Penelope’s suitors after Matt Damon’s character finally returns,
“You could have told me I was going to hold a spear in the back, and I would have been fine with it,” Marshall-Green reflected about his involvement in the movie. “I wanted to bear witness to the process. I wanted to be on his set.”
The Odyssey is currently in theaters.
