When Christopher Nolan compares a moment on the set of The Odyssey to something that happened during the making of The Dark Knight, movie fans are going to pay attention.
According to the filmmaker, one actor earned a reaction from the crew that he has only witnessed one other time in his career. The previous person to inspire that kind of response was Heath Ledger.
This is some incredibly high praise, and it has people even more curious about what Samantha Morton is bringing to Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of The Odyssey.
Morton plays the goddess Circe, a character who doesn’t dominate the movie’s runtime but apparently leaves a huge impression. Speaking with The L.A. Times, Nolan explained just how important she was to the film, saying:
“This was a massive film and she is someone who comes in and changes the dynamic. In some weird way, the film lived or died over that character. She was the fulcrum. I’ve always admired Samantha’s work, she brings so much depth of thinking about her role, there are no limitations on her performance.
“After one of her takes, the crew gave her a great round of applause. I was talking with Emma [Thomas, Nolan’s producing partner and wife] afterwards and she remembered that the last time that had happened was with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight.”
That’s an interesting story considering how rarely Nolan has seen that kind of spontaneous reaction from a film crew. Ledger’s unforgettable performance as the Joker went on to become one of the most celebrated comic book movie performances ever made, earning him a posthumous Academy Award after his passing in 2008.
Now Morton is generating early excitement of her own. Although Circe reportedly appears for only a relatively short portion of the film, the first reactions suggest her performance is one audiences won’t forget. Empire editor Nick de Semlyen wrote: “You are not ready for Samantha Morton in The Odyssey”
Journalist Andrew J. Salazar was equally enthusiastic, posting: “Samantha Morton’s sequence in The Odyssey is perhaps the best of the entire film and we’re going to be talking about it for years to come.”
If those reactions are any indication, Morton may end up delivering one of the movie’s biggest highlights despite limited screen time.
The Odyssey adapts Homer’s legendary Greek epic, following Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on his long and dangerous journey home after the Trojan War. Nolan has assembled another impressive ensemble cast for the film, but it sounds like Morton may end up stealing the spotlight when Circe finally appears.
Whenever Nolan singles out an actor like this, it’s worth paying attention. Comparing an on-set experience to what happened during The Dark Knight isn’t something he throws around lightly, and it’s only adding to the anticipation surrounding what could be one of the year’s biggest cinematic events.
The Odyssey sails into theaters on July 17, and fans won’t have to wait much longer to see if Morton’s performance lives up to the growing wave of praise.
