Tom Holland Reveals Why He Thought Christopher Nolan Hated His Performance in “The Odyssey”
The British actor revealed that, during his first day of filming, the director's constant and unexpected cuts made him panic
The start of filming for “The Odyssey,” the ambitious epic adaptation directed by Christopher Nolan, was about to become a psychological nightmare for Tom Holland.
The 30-year-old actor recently confessed in an interview with Fandango that, during his first day on set, he was completely convinced that the filmmaker hated his performance and that he was ruining one of the most important scenes in the film.
The reason for his anguish, as Holland himself explained, was not Nolan's discontent, but a technical limitation that no one had warned him about. The filming of “The Odyssey” stands out for being the first production filmed entirely with IMAX film cameras, a format known for its visual spectacularity but also for its strict physical restrictions.
“Working with IMAX cameras for the first time is quite an experience,” said the Telemaco interpreter in the film. “It's something different than anything I've seen before, and I didn't know that the roll of film is only three minutes long.”
While filming an emotionally charged sequence with co-star Jon Bernthal, Holland began to notice in panic that Nolan was yelling “cut!” repetitively and unexpectedly.
"I remember he kept interrupting, and I looked at Jon and said, 'Why does he keep cutting? Why is he doing that?' In my head I was thinking, 'Could it be that he doesn't like what we're doing? What's going on?'" the actor recalled, admitting that he came to believe he was doing a terrible job.
The tension dissipated when the stunt coordinator, George Cottle, noticed the young actor's confusion and came over to clarify everything: “No, no, no, it's just that there is only three minutes of room in the camera charger.” Holland said he felt immediate relief: “I said, ‘Oh, thank God!’ I thought I was doing terrible.”
Despite the initial scare, the protagonist of “Spider-Man” remembered that the day ended in the best way, with a hug and a pat on the back from Nolan that gave him back the confidence to face the rest of the film project.
“The Odyssey,” which also stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, will hit theaters around the world on July 17.