After the ensemble of dudes being dudes Christopher Nolan put together for Oppenheimer, eyes were on the director’s next cast before anyone knew he was adapting The Odyssey. The ensemble is as sprawling as the source material. Curious as to who’s under Agamemnon’s helmet, who played the Cyclops? Don’t remember these characters from your high school world literature class? Here’s what you need to know about the cast and characters of 2026’s The Odyssey.
Many of the actors who make up this troupe taking on Homer’s epic have worked with Nolan before. Many have worked with each other before. For a story about characters who are kept apart by powerful forces, the actors who play them are quite close.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus
Odysseus is the King of Ithaca, a small island nation in Ancient Greece. He leaves home to fight in the Trojan War and gets a bit waylaid on the return trip.
After playing supporting roles in both Interstellar and Oppenheimer, Matt returns to work with Nolan in the lead. An easy feat, obviously, for the star of Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed, the Bourne movies, the Ocean’s Eleven movies, Ford v. Ferrari, The Last Duel, Manchester By the Sea, Invictus, Air, Margaret... need I go on? He broke out as an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for Good Will Hunting, won a Golden Globe for that and The Martian, and has a handful of Emmy and other major award nominations across his multi-hyphenate career.
Anne Hathaway plays Penelope
Penelope is the Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’ wife. Suitors have gathered in her palace hoping that she will remarry and cede power to one of them. She waits.
This year alone, Anne starred in Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The End of Oak Street, and Verity. She is an Academy Award-winning actress for Les Miserables. She was also nominated for Rachel Getting Married. This is her third Nolan film after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. To name a few other films, shall we, her best known credits include The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Becoming Jane, Brokeback Mountain, Love & Other Drugs, and Ocean’s Eight.
IG: @annehathaway
Tom Holland plays Telemachus
Telemachus is Odysseus and Penelope’s son. He has not yet come of age and is debating the merits of searching for his father vs. taking the throne himself.
Tom also stars in Spider-Man: Brand New Day this month as Peter Parker, reprising a role he’s played in the MCU since Captain America: Civil War. His other film credits include The Lost City of Z, In the Heart of the Sea, Cherry, and The Devil All The Time. He played Billy Elliot on the West End in London and recently took on the titular Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
IG: @tomholland2013
Zendaya plays Athena
Athena is the goddess of wisdom, and also war. She appears to Odysseus as an advisor, critic, sounding board... whatever she thinks he needs, for better or worse, at the time.
Zendaya’s in the The Drama, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Dune Part Three bubbles in the Odyssey cast Venn Diagram. She also wrapped Euphoria, whose previous seasons got her two Emmy awards, this year. In 2025, she was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her leading role in Challengers. Way back when, as a Disney kid, Zendaya starred in KC Undercover, Frenemies, Good Luck Charlie, Shake it Up, and more.
IG: @zendaya
Robert Pattinson plays Antinous
Antinous is one of the suitors vying aggressively for Penelope’s hand. He did not fight in the Trojan War and you can really, really tell.
Did you first discover Rob from Twilight or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Are you all about his The Batman now? Are you a Tenet truther? Have you enjoyed the last few years of weird Rob roles in films like The Drama, Mickey 17, Die My Love, Marty Supreme, and The Lighthouse? He was also in The Lost City of Z and The Devil All The Time with Holland. It’s a good time to be a fan. Dune Part Three next!
Himesh Patel plays Eurylochus
Eurylochus is one of Odysseus’ men and his second-in-command. He’s one of the good ones until he’s not.
Himesh previously worked with Nolan in Tenet as well. He is an Emmy-nominated actor for the supremely underrated HBO miniseries Station Eleven. He’s been in a few HBO shows actually, including The Franchise and Avenue 5. You may have seen him reinvent The Beatles in Yesterday. He also plays John Watson in the Enola Holmes movies.
IG: @himeshjpatel
Lupita Nyong’o plays Helen and Clytemnestra
Helen and Clytemnestra are twin sisters from Sparta. Helen was kidnapped by (or ran off with) Paris, the Prince of Troy. This was the catalyst for the Trojan War. Clytemnestra stayed home with her husband Agamemnon went to war. Unlike Penelope, she did not wait faithfully.
Lupita won an Academy Award in 2013 for 12 Years A Slave. Since then, she has appeared and/or starred in the Star Wars franchise, Queen of Katwe, Non-Stop, The Jungle Book, Black Panther, Us, A Quiet Place: Day One, and The Wild Robot. She also starred in Danai Gurira’s play Eclipsed, both off and on Broadway, in 2016 and was nominated for a Tony Award.
IG: @lupitanyongo
Jon Bernthal plays Menelaus
Menelaus is and was Helen’s husband and the King of Sparta. He is also one of the last to see Odysseus alive.
Jon broke out as Shane on The Walking Dead, one of the long-running series’ first villains. He’s best known these days as Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher in the MCU and Michael, Carmy’s late brother on The Bear. He won an Emmy for that, BTW! He’s also a SAG nominee for King Richard. Other credits include The Accountant, Sharp Stick, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Widows, and Baby Driver.
IG: @jonnybernthal
Elliot Page plays Sinon
Sinon actually does not appear in Homer’s Odyssey but the Greek warrior is depicted in The Aeneid, an epic poem about the aftermath of the Trojan War by Virgil. Sinon is key to the “great trick” with the horse.
Elliot starred in Nolan’s Inception and has returned to work with the director after over a decade. He’s known for films like Juno (an Academy Award nominated performance, NBD), Whip It, the X-Men franchise, and more recently the long-ish running Netflix adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, the Tales of the City reboot, and Close to You. He also hosted a travel show called Gaycation in 2016-17 that earned him two consecutive Emmy nominations.
IG: @elliotpage
Samantha Morton plays Circe
Circe is a witch who turns visitors to her island who wrong her into animals.
Samantha played a later villain, the cult leader Alpha, on The Walking Dead. She recently played Catherine de' Medici in The Serpent Queen. She also led the period dramedy Harlots, which should be on your list if you haven’t already seen. You might have seen her in miniseries adaptations of Emma and Jane Eyre. Film-wise, Morton’s credits include Minority Report, The Whale, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and She Said.
CHECK IG: @samanthamorton
Charlize Theron plays Calypso
Calypso is a nymph who rescues Odysseus from a shipwreck and keeps him prisoner (?) for seven years.
Charlize is an Academy Award, Screen Actor’s Guild Award, and Golden Globe winning actress for Monster. She starred in Mad Max: Fury Road, Bombshell, The Cider House Rules, The Old Guard, Young Adult, Prometheus, Long Shot, and some of the later entries in the Fast and the Furious franchise. Also, anyone remember when she was on Arrested Development?
IG: @charlizeafrica
Travis Scott plays a Bard
The bard, a combination of a few characters in Homer’s epic, entertains the suitors in Odysseus’ home with tales of his triumphs and trials.
Travis is a ten time Grammy-nominated rapper and singer-songwriter.
IG: @travisscott
John Leguizamo plays Eumaeus
Eumaeus is a blind shepherd in Ithaca who remains loyal to Odysseus. He’s one of Telemachus’ few true allies in court.
John is best known for movies like To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge. He’s also the voice of Sid in the Ice Age movies. (And the voice of Bruno in Encanto, but we don’t talk about that!) His special John Leguizamo: Freak won him an Emmy award. He’s also a special Tony winner and a four time nominee.
IG: @johnleguizamo
Benny Safdie plays Agamemnon
Agamemnon is the peacocking commander of the Greek army and the King of Mycenae. He is not getting in the Trojan Horse.
With his brother, Benny directed films like Uncut Gems and Good Time. As an actor, he appeared in Nolan’s Oppenheimer and other films including Stars at Noon, Licorice Pizza, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. He is also the voice of Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
IG: @bowedtie
Bill Irwin plays Polyphemus
Polyphemus is the cyclops that Odysseus and his men encounter early in his journey. He has sheep. He makes feta cheese. Also his dad is Poseidon! Keep that in mind.
You may or may not have grown up watching Bill Irwin without knowing it. Since 1992, he has played Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street. He worked with Nolan before on Interstellar. He also starred in the quirky Marvel series Legion as a mutant named Cary Loudermilk and recurred as Dr. Peter Lindstrom on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Corey Hawkins plays Polybus
Polybus is another one of the rude suitors overstaying his welcome in Penelope’s home.
Corey was also on The Walking Dead, playing a character named Heath in seasons 6 and 7. He is far better known, however, for his SAG-nominated performance as Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton, Tony-nominated performances in Six Degrees of Separation and Topdog/Underdog, Emmy-nominated performance in Survive, as well as The Piano Lesson, The Color Purple, In The Heights, The Tragedy of Macbeth, BlacKkKlansman, Kong: Skull Island, and 24: Legacy.
IG: @coreyhawkins
Mia Goth plays Melantho
Melantho is one of Penelope’s servants. She is not a girl’s girl, however, and secretly on the side of the suitors.
Mia is a scream queen who causes the screaming. You know her from Pearl, X, MaXXXine, Suspiria, Frankenstein, A Cure For Wellness, and for something completely different: Emma.
Logan Marshall-Green plays Melanthius
Melanthius is a goatherd in Ithaca.
Logan currently stars in Marshals, though you might know him from shows like Dark Blue, Traveler, The O.C. or 24 back in the day. He’s also known for thrillers like The Invitation, Devil, and Upgrade.
IG: @elemgy
Will Yun Lee plays Anchialus
Anchialus is also one of Odysseus’ men.
Will played Dr. Alex Park on The Good Doctor. You might also recognize him from movies like Die Another Day and Elektra as well as shows like Bionic Woman, True Blood, Hawaii Five-O, and Altered Carbon.
IG: @willyunlee
Ryan Hurst plays Mentor
Mentor is an old friend of Odysseus and Telemachus’ literal mentor! Yes, this character is where that word comes from!
Ryan is the final The Walking Dead alum in this cast. He played Beta to Morton’s Alpha on the AMC series. He played a paratrooper in Saving Private Ryan and an IRL athlete in Remember The Titans. Some of Hurst’s other television credits include Sons of Anarchy, Outsiders, Bates Motel, and The Mysterious Benedict Society.
IG: @rambodonkeykong
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