Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey is an epic by every measure — including the scale of work required to pull it of: 2 million feet of Imax film, 5,000 costumes, and location shoots across six countries. With the undeniable Oscar contender opening in theaters, here are 10 surprising facts about the movie that will dominating the conversation for the forseeable future.
1. A globe-trotting production
To capture the ancient, mythic world, the production shot in a half-dozen countries: Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States. Whatever environments could not be accomplished on location were meticulously built on California soundstages. Nolan and production designer Ruth De Jong spent months traveling and researching to find real-world locations that could represent the realms described in Homer’s poem — including the beaches of Troy, the cavern of the Cyclops, the underworld of Hades, the island homes of Calypso and Circe, and Odysseus’ homeland of Ithaca.
2. Over 2 million feet of Imax film
The Odyssey marks Nolan’s 13th feature film and fulfills a long-held dream of his to shoot an entire movie using Imax film cameras. The scale of this undertaking was unprecedented, utilizing both traditional Imax cameras and the brand-new Imax Keighley film camera. In total, the production ran through 2.1 million feet of film — a distance longer than the stretch from Toronto to New York. Nolan and his Oscar-winning DP, Hoyte van Hoytema, had to develop special techniques and technology to work with the oversized cameras and limitations of shooting in Imax, like having to swap out the film cannister after three minutes.
3. Matt Damon signed on without a pitch
Matt Damon’s trust in Christopher Nolan is so absolute that the actor agreed to join the project before he even knew what it was. “I said yes before he even told me what it was,” Damon recounts. “Chris said, ‘Don’t you want to hear the pitch?’ I said: ‘OK, sure.’ And he said two words: ‘The Odyssey.'”
4. Anne Hathaway had to master an ancient craft
To prepare for her role as Penelope, the queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’ devoted wife, Anne Hathaway had to learn the ancient art of weaving. Nolan and producer Emma Thomas tracked down an expert teacher in Northern California to train Hathaway on historical looms. “I am grateful I learned what I did so I cast the illusion of it and make you believe Penelope herself had spent years at her loom,” says Hathaway.
5. Robert Pattinson’s sore feet
Filming in historical European ruins required some real-world endurance. To shoot scenes at an ancient castle in Italy, Robert Pattinson reveals that the cast and crew had to make a daily 45-minute trek up a steep hill in full costume: “You really feel like you are on a quest going somewhere, and it’s a great equalizer,” he says.
6. Sailing a real viking ship
For Odysseus’s principal vessel, the Andrea, Nolan and De Jong sourced the Draken from Stavanger, Norway — a full-scale, seaworthy longship constructed to ancient specifications using period-appropriate materials. The ship’s hull and rigging perfectly matched Mycenaean-era historical research. The Draken is capable of open-ocean sailing (having already crossed the Atlantic twice) and came with its own experienced crew, who eagerly joined the production. In the film, it’s half actors, half real sailors.
7. A wardrobe force of 5,000+ costumes
The wardrobe department, led by costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, was an army unto itself. To design and produce 5,300 costumes, Mirojnick managed a 175-person core team of specialized artists — including sculptors, leathermakers, mold makers, and breakdown painters — dedicated solely to the main cast’s armor and wardrobe. In total, Mirojnick oversaw a crew of more than 500 people spread across locations in Los Angeles, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Iceland, Scotland, Spain, England, New York, and New Zealand.
8. Bringing the Cyclops to life
Nolan’s vision for the legendary Cyclops required an enormous collaboration across almost every department on set. However, the true soul and physicality of the giant came from Tony-winning actor Bill Irwin. Irwin previously collaborated with Nolan under similar physical constraints on Interstellar, where he helped bring the blocky, modular robots TARS and CASE to life.
9. A heartfelt dedication
The film features a special dedication to the memory of filmmaker and movie executive David Keighley. The late chief quality officer at Imax was a long-time champion of the film format and a close associate of Nolan’s. (The newly engineered Imax Keighley camera used on the film also bears his name).
10. Squeezing into the Trojan Horse
The legendary Trojan Horse was built as a massive, 35-foot-tall structure. True to Nolan’s style, it was built practically — and without wheels. “Big enough to stuff enough guys that can accomplish the mission at hand, but not crazy oversized, and, most importantly, no wheels,” Nolan says. “I wanted something that had to be dragged across the plains of Troy, something that was difficult for them to get into the city. That felt more credible to me.”
On set, Nolan by example. At the New York premiere, John Leguizamo, who plays Odysseus’ trusted friend Eumaeus, told The Hollywood Reporter that when he went to meet Nolan on set, he was inside the horse with 20 actors and the van Hoytema. “I couldn’t believe that. I was like, ‘Wow, this man is a leader. This man is not going to ask anything of you that he doesn’t attempt himself.'” The claustrophobic sequence wasn’t storyboarded, with Damon revealing that they didn’t even have a concrete plan for filming it until they climbed inside on the day: “Just going to cram in there and figure it out,” the star says, noting “that feeling of claustrophobia, that was all just developing organically. If we had planned it out, I don’t think it would have had that same energy.”
Multiple horses were built for use in different locations. Some of the screen-used horses are on display outside Imax theaters in such cities as Los Angeles, New York, and London.
‘The Odyssey’ cast guide: Every actor and the role they play
