An Expert on THE ODYSSSEY Defends Christopher Nolan’s Casting and Script Choices
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has already sparked plenty of conversation before its release. From casting decisions to one seemingly simple word in the script, fans have been picking apart every detail.
Now, one of the world’s leading Homer scholars has stepped in to explain why those creative choices might make a lot more sense than critics think.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Emily Wilson, the celebrated British-American classicist, author, and Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, defended several of Nolan’s decisions for his adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey.
Wilson, whose acclaimed English translation of the epic was reportedly one of several versions Nolan studied while developing the film, offered some fascinating insight into why these choices fit the story.
One of the biggest talking points came from a scene in which Tom Holland’s Telemachus refers to Odysseus as “dad.” Some viewers argued the word feels far too modern for a story rooted in ancient Greece, but Wilson doesn’t see it as an issue.
She explained that every English translation involves choices, and many translators reshape the material in ways that make their work feel more like adaptations than direct translations. Since Nolan’s film is written in English rather than Ancient Greek, she believes using contemporary language is perfectly reasonable.
Wilson explained that the movie is composed in English, not Ancient Greek, so using certain modern words is “okay.” She also noted that Hollywood scripts aren’t typically written in pentameter, making the criticism over one modern word feel a bit misplaced.
She went on to explain that Ancient Greek actually has several different words for “father,” including intimate terms such as táta, which is closer in meaning to “daddy.”
According to Wilson, Telemachus doesn’t use that affectionate term when speaking to Odysseus in Homer’s poem. Instead, he uses it for the enslaved man who helped raise him. She suggested Nolan may simply be making a different storytelling choice about which relationship carries that emotional weight in The Odyssey.
Wilson also addressed another topic that generated discussion among fans: Lupita Nyong’o portraying both Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.
Rather than seeing it as an unusual casting decision, Wilson pointed out that the two women are sisters who serve as narrative counterparts to their cousin, Penelope.
Together, the three characters represent different paths an elite wife might take while her husband is away at war. She explained that Homer intentionally presents Helen and Clytemnestra as parallel figures whose stories also reflect Penelope’s marriage to Odysseus.
Finally, Wilson was asked about Elliot Page’s casting and whether transgender identities have any place within Greek mythology. She said: “The Odyssey is not a historical document. But within the world of Greek myth, transness exists.”
As with many of Nolan’s films, it looks like The Odyssey won’t simply recreate the source material page by page. The director is drawing from multiple translations and interpretations while shaping his own version of the ancient epic.
Whether every creative choice lands with audiences remains to be seen, but hearing one of the foremost experts on Homer defend Nolan’s approach certainly adds another layer to the ongoing conversation.
It also serves as a reminder that The Odyssey has been interpreted and reinterpreted for centuries, with each generation finding its own way to tell the story.