Christopher Nolan said that Samantha Morton’s performance in Odyssey earned a standing ovation he hasn’t seen since Heath Ledger Dark Knight.
Oppenheimer The director’s epic will be released on July 17, with Matt Damon starring in the classic story of a king’s treacherous return from war. In a new interview with the magazine Los Angeles Times he recalled the impact her performance as the goddess Circe in the film had on Morton.
“It was a big movie, and she’s someone who comes in and changes the dynamic,” Nolan explained. “In some strange way the film lived or died because of that character. She was the fulcrum. I’ve always admired Samantha’s work, she brings such depth of thought to her role, there are no limits to her performance. After one of her takes, the crew gave her a standing ovation. I spoke to Emma (Thomas, Nolan’s producing partner and wife) afterward and she remembered the last time this happened to Heath Ledger on Dark Knight“
Released in 2008, Dark Knight is the most beloved of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and one of the reasons for this is Heath Ledger’s iconic performance as the Joker. The actor died before the film’s release and received a posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Academy Awards.
In the same interview, Christopher Nolan explained why Odyssey used a modern English and American accent as opposed to the theatrical delivery usually found in period plays. “I might have been naive, it might have bit me in the ass, but I wanted a grounded narrative,” he explained. “It wasn’t difficult for me.”
Odyssey It premiered in London this week and critics have hailed the film as a “triumph”. Actor Tom Holland recently revealed how a misunderstanding made him think Nolan hated his performance.