Matt Damon and Zendaya in 'The Odyssey.' Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection When working with legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan, even pros like Zendaya get nervous.
During a recent interview for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked the Emmy winner for more context on what led to her messing up her lines on the first day of filming for The Odyssey, as that didn’t sound like something Zendaya would do.
The Drama actress admitted that it was already “nerve-racking” working on a Nolan set for the first time, but that she was also battling freezing conditions where they were shooting that day.
“Here’s the thing. I had my lines and I wanted to have them so down. I think I psyched myself out a little bit,” Zendaya explained. “It was particularly cold. … It was in Iceland. My mouth was just frozen. Oh, there is nothing coming out. My mouth just won’t move. Literally. It just came out like, ‘Blah blah blah.’ So embarrassing.”
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She continued, “But I will say, I think just showing up in any situation like this… It was such a pleasure and a gift to be able to share scenes with people you’ve admired for so long. Part of you has to compartmentalize to a degree. OK, lock in; we’re working. But I was so moved and excited to be there and wanted to do my best work.”
In The Odyssey, based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, Zendaya plays Greek goddess Athena. The film follows King Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) dangerous voyage back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, including battles with mythical creatures, as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).
The film, which also stars Lupita Nyong’o and Robert Pattinson, arrives in theaters on July 17.
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