The Odyssey is led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus. Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, Zendaya plays Athena, Benny Safdie plays Agamemnon, Jon Bernthal plays Menelaus, Lupita Nyong’o plays both Helen and Clytemnestra, Charlize Theron plays Calypso, Samantha Morton plays Circe, and Travis Scott appears as a bard. Elliot Page plays Sinon, not Achilles.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has one of the largest ensembles in his career, but the cast is not simply a collection of famous faces. The actors are spread across three connected parts of the story: Odysseus’ dangerous voyage, the political crisis in Ithaca and the memories of the Trojan War.
This guide focuses on the performers, the roles they play and why viewers may recognise them. That makes it different from a mythology-first character explainer. It also answers the rising searches around Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Travis Scott, James Remar and the false rumour that Elliot Page plays Achilles.
| Actor | Character | Role in the story | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Damon | Odysseus | King of Ithaca trying to return home after Troy | Oppenheimer, Interstellar, The Martian |
| Anne Hathaway | Penelope | Queen of Ithaca who protects the household and succession | Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Misérables |
| Tom Holland | Telemachus | Odysseus and Penelope’s son, searching for his father | Spider-Man films, The Impossible, Cherry |
| Robert Pattinson | Antinous | The most dangerous suitor seeking Penelope and the throne | The Batman, Tenet, Good Time |
| Zendaya | Athena | Goddess of wisdom and Odysseus’ guide | Dune, Euphoria, Spider-Man films |
| Jon Bernthal | Menelaus | King of Sparta and Helen’s husband | The Punisher, The Bear, Ford v Ferrari |
| Lupita Nyong’o | Helen and Clytemnestra | Twin sisters tied to the beginning and aftermath of the Trojan War | 12 Years a Slave, Black Panther, The Wild Robot |
| Benny Safdie | Agamemnon | Commander of the Greek forces whose homecoming becomes a warning | Oppenheimer, Licorice Pizza, Good Time |
| Charlize Theron | Calypso | Nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island | Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Monster |
| Samantha Morton | Circe | Powerful figure encountered during the voyage | Minority Report, The Walking Dead, The Serpent Queen |
| Elliot Page | Sinon | Greek warrior connected with the Trojan Horse plan | Inception, Juno, The Umbrella Academy |
| Himesh Patel | Eurylochus | Odysseus’ second-in-command | Yesterday, Tenet, Station Eleven |
| Mia Goth | Melantho | A maid in the Ithacan household who betrays the family | Pearl, X, MaXXXine |
| John Leguizamo | Eumaeus | Loyal servant and ally of Odysseus | John Wick, Encanto, Romeo + Juliet |
| Bill Irwin | Polyphemus | The Cyclops who traps Odysseus and his crew | Rachel Getting Married, Legion, Interstellar |
| James Remar | Tiresias | The blind prophet consulted during the journey | Dexter, The Warriors, Oppenheimer |
| Travis Scott | A bard | Performer who voices the story’s oral-poetry tradition | Rapper and producer; contributor to Tenet’s music |
Matt Damon as Odysseus
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the king of Ithaca and the centre of the film. Odysseus is famous for intelligence rather than simple strength. He helps win the Trojan War through the Horse strategy, but the same cleverness that makes him a hero also creates arrogance, secrecy and guilt.
Damon previously worked with Nolan in Interstellar and Oppenheimer. His casting gives the film a lead who can carry both spectacle and exhaustion. This Odysseus must look capable of commanding warriors while also appearing worn down by years of loss, captivity and failed attempts to reach home.
Anne Hathaway as Penelope
Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and the queen of Ithaca. Penelope is not a passive figure waiting for the hero to finish his adventure. She protects the household from suitors who want marriage, property and political control. Her intelligence creates a parallel with Odysseus: both survive through patience, timing and the ability to conceal their intentions.
The Odyssey is Hathaway’s third Nolan film after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. Her role gives the Ithaca storyline emotional authority because the kingdom’s survival depends as much on Penelope’s endurance as on Odysseus’ return.
Tom Holland as Telemachus
Tom Holland plays Telemachus, the son Odysseus left behind as a baby. Telemachus has grown up with stories about a father who may be a hero, a prisoner or a dead man. His journey to find information about Odysseus is also a coming-of-age story.
Holland’s character connects the wandering plot with the crisis at home. He must survive the suitors, learn from Menelaus and eventually fight beside the father he has spent his life imagining. The ending gives Telemachus a larger responsibility than the poem by making him king of Ithaca.
Robert Pattinson as Antinous
Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, the most threatening of Penelope’s suitors. Antinous is not simply a romantic rival. He represents the group’s willingness to turn absence into a political takeover. He wants Penelope, but he also needs Telemachus removed so the old royal line cannot continue.
Pattinson previously worked with Nolan in Tenet. Casting him gives the palace conflict a recognisable antagonist who can be charming, calculating and openly dangerous. Searchers asking “Robert Pattinson Odyssey” are usually looking for the character name: he plays Antinous.
Zendaya as Athena
Zendaya plays Athena, the goddess associated with wisdom, strategy and war. Athena favours Odysseus because his intelligence mirrors her own. She also guides Telemachus, helping the son begin the search that will prepare him for leadership.
Nolan presents Athena in a more restrained and psychologically charged way than the armour-clad goddess many viewers expect. Her appearances force Odysseus to think about responsibility, not only victory. This is Zendaya’s first film with Nolan.
Benny Safdie as Agamemnon
Benny Safdie plays Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek forces at Troy and the brother of Menelaus. Agamemnon’s fate is one of the most important warnings in The Odyssey. He wins the war and returns home, only to be murdered by Clytemnestra and her lover.
In the film, Agamemnon repeatedly appears as a memory or spirit haunting Odysseus. His presence asks a disturbing question: even after surviving the voyage, can a warrior safely return to the household he left behind? Safdie previously played Edward Teller in Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Jon Bernthal as Menelaus
Jon Bernthal plays Menelaus, king of Sparta, husband of Helen and brother of Agamemnon. Telemachus visits him while looking for news of Odysseus. Menelaus provides a link to the generation that fought at Troy, but he also shows a different kind of homecoming from Agamemnon’s tragic return.
Bernthal brings physical authority to a character who can speak as soldier, king and survivor. His scenes help Telemachus understand that stories about Odysseus have become contradictory because no one knows what happened to him.
Lupita Nyong’o as Helen and Clytemnestra
Lupita Nyong’o plays dual roles as the sisters Helen and Clytemnestra. Helen is the queen whose departure with Paris becomes the legendary cause of the Trojan War. Clytemnestra is Agamemnon’s wife, who kills him after he returns home.
Using one performer for both roles links the beginning of the war with its consequences. Helen is associated with the conflict that pulls the Greeks toward Troy. Clytemnestra represents the violence waiting when one of its commanders returns. The dual casting also creates a visual relationship between Penelope’s loyalty and the darker homecoming Odysseus fears.
Charlize Theron as Calypso
Charlize Theron plays Calypso, the immortal nymph who keeps Odysseus on Ogygia. In Homer, Odysseus spends seven years on her island while longing for home. Calypso offers safety and immortality, but accepting them would mean giving up Ithaca, Penelope and the mortal identity he is trying to recover.
Theron’s casting gives the character both power and emotional complexity. The film presents Calypso less as a simple villain and more as someone whose love cannot produce a relationship freely chosen by Odysseus.
Samantha Morton as Circe
Samantha Morton plays Circe, the dangerous and magnetic figure whose island becomes one of the voyage’s major tests. In the poem, she transforms members of the crew into animals and later advises Odysseus about the route ahead, including the journey to the dead.
Morton’s performance became one of the most discussed supporting turns around the film’s release. Circe changes the rhythm of the voyage because she is neither a simple monster nor a dependable ally. She can threaten, delay and help the hero within the same episode.
Elliot Page as Sinon, Not Achilles
Elliot Page plays Sinon. The actor does not play Achilles. The Achilles claim circulated online before release, but the finished film identifies Page’s character as the Greek warrior connected with the Trojan Horse deception.
Nolan expands Sinon by making him personally connected to Odysseus. The character becomes part of the hero’s guilt, and Odysseus later uses the name while disguised in Ithaca. Sinon comes more directly from the wider Trojan tradition, especially Virgil’s Aeneid, rather than being a major character in Homer’s Odyssey.
Himesh Patel as Eurylochus
Himesh Patel plays Eurylochus, Odysseus’ second-in-command. Eurylochus often voices the fear, frustration and distrust developing among the crew. His resistance is not always wise, but it prevents the men from becoming a silent background around their famous leader.
Patel previously appeared in Tenet. His role is important because The Odyssey is also a story about command. Every risky decision made by Odysseus affects men who may not understand his plan or share his appetite for danger.
Mia Goth as Melantho
Mia Goth plays Melantho, a maid in the household of Odysseus and Penelope. Melantho sides with the suitors and mocks the disguised Odysseus. Her betrayal shows that the palace crisis is not limited to outsiders. Years of absence have divided the household itself.
John Leguizamo as Eumaeus
John Leguizamo plays Eumaeus, the loyal servant who gives shelter to Odysseus before knowing the full truth about the stranger. Eumaeus represents the kind of hospitality and loyalty the poem values. He helps Odysseus and Telemachus reclaim the household.
Bill Irwin as Polyphemus
Bill Irwin plays Polyphemus, the Cyclops who traps Odysseus and his crew. Irwin’s background in physical performance makes him a fitting choice for a role built around movement, scale and menace. Polyphemus is not just another obstacle. Blinding him brings the anger of Poseidon and turns the homeward voyage into a prolonged punishment.
James Remar as Tiresias
James Remar plays Tiresias, the blind prophet Odysseus consults during the journey. Tiresias gives the hero knowledge about the dangers ahead and the conditions attached to reaching home. Remar previously worked with Nolan in Oppenheimer, and viewers may also recognise him from Dexter and The Warriors.
This directly answers the James Remar search query: he plays Tiresias, not one of the kings or suitors.
Is Travis Scott in The Odyssey?
Yes. Travis Scott appears as a bard. His role connects the film to the oral origins of The Odyssey, a poem that existed through performance before becoming a written text. The bard’s forceful delivery also allows the film to turn exposition into prophecy and public storytelling.
Scott previously contributed “The Plan” to Nolan’s Tenet. His appearance is more than an unexplained celebrity cameo because it reflects how epic stories were carried by performers using rhythm, memory and voice.
Is Achilles in The Odyssey Movie?
Achilles is central to The Iliad and the wider Trojan War tradition, but he is not played by Elliot Page in Nolan’s film. Page plays Sinon. Achilles may be referenced because Odysseus visits the underworld and the film remembers the dead of Troy, but the viral casting claim was false.
Why the Cast Is So Large
The Odyssey needs a large ensemble because the story moves through different worlds. Ithaca has its own political drama. The Trojan War exists through flashback and memory. Each island introduces a new threat, host or temptation. The gods and the dead also intervene in the lives of the living.
Nolan uses familiar performers even in limited roles because the audience must understand a new figure quickly. A recognisable actor can give weight to a short encounter, which is especially useful in an episodic story that keeps moving from one place to another.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays Odysseus in The Odyssey?
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the king of Ithaca.
Who does Robert Pattinson play?
Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, the leading and most dangerous suitor.
Who does Benny Safdie play?
Benny Safdie plays Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek forces at Troy.
Is Travis Scott in The Odyssey?
Yes. Travis Scott appears as a bard connected with the story’s oral-poetry tradition.
Does Elliot Page play Achilles?
No. Elliot Page plays Sinon.
Who plays Athena?
Zendaya plays Athena.
Who plays Circe?
Samantha Morton plays Circe.
Who plays Calypso?
Charlize Theron plays Calypso.
Who does James Remar play?
James Remar plays the prophet Tiresias.
Who plays Polyphemus?
Bill Irwin plays the Cyclops Polyphemus.