Zendaya reveals how Tom Holland told her she was cast in ‘The Odyssey’
Zendaya has revealed that she was told she was cast in the blockbuster epic The Odyssey by her husband and co-star Tom Holland.
The actor is set to play the Greek goddess Athena in the Christopher Nolan epic, which is being released on July 17th, as one part of a massive ensemble cast, being led by Matt Damon as Odysseus.
The movie received its world premiere in London on July 6th, with early critical indications giving it rave reviews and already crediting it as one of Nolan’s best films.
Zendaya’s husband Holland plays the role of Telemachus in the film, but even though the pair share no scenes together given the sprawling plot and cast, she revealed that he was still the one who got to tell her the news about landing the coveted role.
The Euphoria star opened up about the process in a new interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, explaining that Holland had already secured his role when he got to tell her about hers.
“I was already excited,” Zendaya said (via Deadline) in reference to the fact that Holland would be starring in the film. “I was already on Cloud Nine for him.”
However, she admitted that the couple had been reading the script together the night before Holland’s audition, and subsequently, “Then he came home and said, ‘I need you to read something.’ And I was like, ‘Is it that thing we were just reading the other night?’ And he was like [nods head], ‘But now read it thinking of this character [Athena].’ And I was like, ‘Shut up! You’re joking!’ It was pretty cool.”
To this end, Holland corroborated the story as he recalled to Access Hollywood: “At my meeting with Chris he asked me a question. He said, ‘Would you be offended if I asked Zendaya to play Athena?’ I was like, ‘Why would I be offended?’ And then I asked him, ‘Do you want me to tell her?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’”
As a result, the couple scored yet another on-screen credit together, as they also appear opposite each other in Spider-Man, with the latest instalment, Brand New Day, being released at the end of July.
The timing of the two massive movies being released in cinemas so close together was no coincidence, however, as Holland previously told GQ that in an unprecedented move, Marvel allowed Spider-Man to be pushed back so he could star in The Odyssey.
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