Zendaya apparently had two The Odyssey co-stars feel a little jealous on set.
According to Matt Damon, director Christopher Nolan praised Zendaya so rarely that Damon and Tom Holland couldn’t stop talking about it.
Talk to She For Zendaya’s latest May 21 cover story, Damon explained that Nolan is famously reserved when reacting to scenes. “Yeah, good. Okay,” is apparently as enthusiastic as the Oscar-winning director is after a successful take.
But Zendaya managed to achieve something much more elusive: a “perfect” take.
“Tom [Holland] and I was obsessed with it. Did she have a “perfect”? I never even got a “super”. Did she get a “perfect”? » Damon, 55, remembers.
The actor, who plays Odysseus in the upcoming epic, admitted the compliment sparked ongoing jokes between him and Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus. “He and I talked about it for the rest of the movie. ‘Did you get anything today?’ ‘No, I have a ‘good’ one – move on.’
The feat becomes all the more impressive given that Zendaya was juggling four different projects at the time of filming: The Odyssey, Euphoria Season 3, Dune: part three, And The drama.
“I remember being on set for Euphoria; it was a night shoot on a ranch. I was so tired, but I was also learning my Chakobsa lines for Dune” said the 29-year-old actress. “It’s not like I have a lot of lines in The Odysseybut I was working with Christopher Nolan! The most embarrassing thing in life would be to mess up my lines, which happened once,” she admitted.
Fortunately, Nolan had nothing but praise for Zendaya’s professionalism and “grace” during the demanding shoot, calling her “a true movie star, but also an incredible actress.”
Zendaya plays the goddess Athena in the upcoming film, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The cast also includes Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.
The Odyssey is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2026.
