Tom Holland Thought Christopher Nolan Hated Him on Set

On day one of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Tom Holland had a very human moment of dread. He kept hearing 'cut' and assumed the director disliked his performance. Panic set in. Short, sharp cuts felt like criticism. But the truth was simpler — and stranger.

IMAX cameras, Holland learned, work on tight film rolls. Only roughly three minutes per take. So those frequent interruptions had nothing to do with his acting and everything to do with the mechanics of shooting on film at that scale. He recalls standing there with Jon Bernthal, whispering, 'Why is he cutting? What's wrong?' Only after a veteran of the action crew — George Cottle — explained the three-minute limit did Holland breathe easier.

It’s a reminder of how filmmaking often looks messier from inside the frame than it does on the marquee. Actors interpret silence and stops as judgment. The crew reads it as logistics. For Holland, the moment went from embarrassment to relief when he realized he hadn't ruined a scene; he had simply been learning a new technical language.

Holland plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus (Matt Damon), in a cast that reads like a who's-who of modern cinema: Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth and John Leguizamo all appear alongside him. The Odyssey opens July 17.

Despite that jittery start, Holland has spoken warmly about the experience. Working with Nolan and producer Emma Thomas left a deep impression. He says watching their process up close was an education — a rare chance to see how a master constructs a film from the ground up. This was the best working experience I've had.

Curious what an ancient Greek epic looks like through Nolan's lens and the raw power of IMAX? The Odyssey promises spectacle and craft in equal measure — and a few backstage anecdotes worth remembering when the credits roll.