Christopher Nolan defended one of the boldest creative choices in his upcoming epic The Odyssey: casting of rapper Travis Scott in a supporting role.
speaks to Timethe Oppenheimer director explained that Scott’s presence is meant to echo the oral tradition of Homer’s poem.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod to the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Nolan said.
Scott appears briefly in commercials, sharing a banquet scene with Tom Holland’s Telemachus, Robert Pattinson’s Antinous and Jon Bernthal’s Menelaus.
Although his exact role remains under wraps, fans speculate that he may be portraying Demodocus, the blind bard who sings tales of Odysseus.
The collaboration marks a reunion.
Scott previously contributed the track The plan for Nolan’s 2020 thriller Tenetwritten together with the composer Ludwig Göransson.
Nolan also addressed online chatter about the film’s costumes, which some critics claim deviate from historical accuracy.
He disproved that Homer’s myth was always interpreted through the lens of later eras.
“The oldest depictions of Homeric characters tend to be depicted in the same way as people who lived in Homer’s time,” he explained.
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, he added, used materials like black bronze and gilded accents to signal Agamemnon’s elevated status.
Ultimately, Nolan encouraged audiences to embrace his vision, even if they disagree on the details.
“Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film even if they don’t agree with everything,” he said. “We had a lot of scientists complaining about Interstellar. But you just don’t want people to think you took it lightly.”
With Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Charlize Theron as Calypso, The Odyssey promises to be one of the summer’s most ambitious releases.
Nolan is clearly prepared to defend any decision behind him.
