Tom Holland was convinced Christopher Nolan hated everything he did on his first day filming The Odyssey. The actor revealed the surprising technical reason behind the director’s constant interruptions on set.
Why Christopher Nolan kept cutting Tom Holland’s first The Odyssey scene
Tom Holland told Fandango that he feared Christopher Nolan disapproved of his acting on his first day filming The Odyssey. The actor revealed that Nolan kept stopping the scene while he performed alongside Jon Bernthal. Holland called his first day “one of the most daunting experiences of my career.”
The frequent stops actually stemmed from a technical limitation Holland did not understand at the time. IMAX cameras can only shoot for three minutes before requiring a magazine change. Holland had no awareness of this restriction when he stepped onto set.
“Working with the IMAX cameras for the first time is an experience. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I didn’t know that it only ran for three minutes,” Holland explained. He remembered turning to Bernthal in confusion, wondering why Nolan kept halting. Stunt coordinator George Cottle finally told them the cameras simply needed reloading after each take.
“I thought I was totally shitting the bed in this scene,” Holland admitted about his panicked reaction. Despite that shaky beginning, Holland later told GQ the film became his greatest professional experience. He praised Nolan and producer Emma Thomas as unmatched in their field.
“Working with Chris, getting to know him and Emma was absolutely fantastic,” Holland said. He added that watching Nolan operate gave him “a front row seat” to a master filmmaker’s process. Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Matt Damon’s Odysseus, in the epic adaptation.
Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya also star in the film. Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth and John Leguizamo complete the ensemble. The Odyssey opens exclusively in theaters on July 17.
