‘The Odyssey’ a ‘rewarding’ film experience, says Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron considers The Odyssey a much-needed reminder of the lasting charm of cinema.

Charlize Theron considers The Odyssey a much-needed reminder of the lasting charm of cinema.

The Oscar-winning actress stars alongside Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya in The Odyssey, the film adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey.

Charlize, who plays Calypso in The Odyssey, told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s so rewarding to see that people do want to go to the theatres. They do want to go and see movies, and if we were ever questioning it, we shouldn’t anymore.”

The film industry is facing an uncertain future amid the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix.

“I do think my industry is really worried about where we are going and what’s happening. I think we needed a little bit of this reminder that people do love to watch movies in the theatre,” she said.

The actress also heaped praise on director Sir Christopher Nolan, who has managed to turn his name alone into a theatrical event. Charlize hopes other directors will be able to achieve a similar status in the future.

“Let’s hope he’s not the only one,” she said.

“I know he hopes that he’s not the only one either. If anything, I think we should take encouragement from this. And I know that he, for sure, wants more of that,” she added.

Meanwhile, Matt Damon previously hailed Nolan, admitting that he was amazed by the filmmaker’s vision for The Odyssey.

Damon plays Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, in the film and has praised the renowned filmmaker for his ambitious approach.

Speaking to Collider, Matt said, “I don’t know how he did it. I don’t know.”

“I mean, the amount of vision that it took to build this world and how intentional it was. He talked about it from the moment we had our first conversation about it, and how it’s myth, it’s this ancient world, but he wanted to ground it.”

The actor further explained, “So, all of those conversations about the wardrobe and the layering and the layers of dirt and everything, it was about this comprehensive effort on the part of all the departments to just really world-build.”

He continued, “Then, to be able to do it on IMAX, which was the goal, but we didn’t know if we’d do it. He didn’t announce that as we set off. I mean, we knew that was the intention, but we didn’t know if we’d be able to do it, and that is the final piece that just puts you there.”

Damon was describing how Christopher Nolan was able to bring his ambitious vision for The Odyssey to the screen.

Charlize Theron is a South African and American actress and producer. She is one of the world’s highest-paid actresses, and her honours include an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.