Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has brought together one of the most impressive casts we’ve seen in years, but it also reunited a couple of actors who already know exactly how to push each other’s buttons.
Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland have shared the screen before in The Lost City of Z and The Devil All the Time, and now they’re back together for Nolan’s epic adaptation of Homer’s classic tale.
It sounds like their latest collaboration came with plenty of laughs thanks to Pattinson fully embracing one of the movie’s most detestable characters… and using that role to relentlessly mess with Holland.
In The Odyssey, Pattinson plays Antinous, one of Penelope’s arrogant suitors who hopes to marry her while Odysseus is presumed lost. That naturally puts him at odds with Holland’s Telemachus, who has no intention of letting someone replace his father.
Apparently Pattinson had an absolute blast leaning into that dynamic, telling Empire: “I mean, he’s just the worst stepfather you could possibly have.
“I always end up doing these slithery things with Tom and I don’t know why. This was just a fun part to play: ‘I just want to be your daddy. I want to be your daddy. That’s all I want!’”
After appearing in The Lost City of Z and later The Devil All the Time, they’ve clearly built the kind of friendship where this sort of relentless trolling is all part of the job.
Holland certainly doesn’t seem to mind. He also spoke with Empire about reuniting with Pattinson, and it sounds like having a familiar face on such a massive production made a big difference.
“Having a familiar face and someone that I could share the screen with was a real safety blanket for me. I’m always eager to share scenes with Rob, because he just brings the best out of everyone. I admire his ability to take big swings and make them feel like the perfect decision for that character.”
Now he’ll be bringing that same level of commitment to Antinous, one of the central antagonists standing in Telemachus’ way.
It’s going to be fun watching those confrontations unfold on screen, although it’s probably going to be impossible not to think about Pattinson spending his downtime pestering Holland by insisting he wanted to be his daddy.
Knowing that bit of behind-the-scenes context will make watching those tense scenes between the two actor even more entertaining.
Fans won’t have to wait much longer to see their chemistry play out when The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17.
