Zendaya Had No Idea She Was Playing Goddess Athena In The Odyssey, Until...

Christopher Nolan’s much-awaited epic The Odyssey is landing in theatres on July 17. Shot completely in IMAX, the film is already receiving a lot of love with early reviews suggesting that it is an amazing watch. Boasting an ensemble cast which sees the like of Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Elliot Page, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron among others, the film will also see Zendaya playing the goddess Athena. And it turns out that landing a role in The Odyssey was actually a complete surprise for Zendaya. In a recent interaction, the actor revealed she had no idea she was being considered to play the goddess Athena in The Odyssey until her husband, Tom Holland, came home with the news. Speaking on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Zendaya recalled

that she was already thrilled after learning Holland had managed to grab a major role in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic. She said she was "on Cloud Nine" for him, never imagining she would soon be joining the cast herself. According to Zendaya, Holland asked her to revisit the script they had recently read together, but this time with Athena's scenes in mind.

"He came home and said, 'I need you to read something.' I asked, 'Is it that thing we were just reading the other night?' He nodded and said, 'Now read it thinking of this character.' I was like, 'Shut up! You're joking!' It was pretty cool," she shared on the podcast, as reported by Deadline.Holland later recounted the moment during an interview with Access Hollywood, revealing that it was Christopher Nolan himself who gave him permission to break the news. The actor, who portrays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, said Nolan asked during a meeting whether he would be offended if Zendaya was offered the role of Athena."I was like, 'Why would I be offended?'" Holland recalled. When he asked the filmmaker if he could tell her, Nolan simply replied, "Yeah."

Holland said he couldn't have been happier to share the news, especially because Zendaya has long admired Nolan's work. He revealed that Interstellar is her favourite film, making the opportunity even more special. When he returned home, Holland encouraged Zendaya to read the screenplay once again, paying close attention to Athena's part."I said, 'Just read it again, but read Athena really closely.' And the little corners of her mouth..." Holland said, smiling as he remembered her reaction. "It was amazing."Interestingly, during the conversation, Holland also joked that the couple may have accidentally broken Nolan's famously strict secrecy rules by reading the script together before his official meeting with the director.