‘I was left speechless on first day’: Tom Holland on scale of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

For an actor who has been a part of several big-budget Hollywood productions, Tom Holland says nothing could have prepared him for the scale of Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, ‘The Odyssey’. Speaking to the media in Mumbai on Saturday, the actor recalled being left "speechless" on his very first day on set in Morocco, where the sheer magnitude of the production made him feel as though he had stepped back in time rather than onto a film set.

Recalling the first day on the sets of the film that left him speechless, Holland said, “I wasn't working that day, I went to visit because I wanted to get an understanding of what I was walking into. I remember we were in Morocco as I walked over the brow of this sand dune, and it felt more like I had gone back in time than I had walked onto a film set. The scale of what we were doing was so overwhelming. I'm looking at thousands of people in costume, hundreds of boats, the horses listing in the sand as the waves are crashing, and I remember an AD (assistant director) said to me, ‘Just go that way, and eventually you'll find the crew.’”

“I remember walking for what felt like miles. Eventually, I saw Matt (Damon) and Chris (Christopher Nolan) at the epicentre of this massive thing. I just remember that day, pinching myself and telling myself to drink this all in because this is unlike anything that has ever been done before and probably ever again.”

The ‘Spider-Man’ actor, who found his career-defining character in his early years, also spoke about things he thinks will surprise the Indian audience about ‘The Odyssey’.

Also read: Christopher Nolan reveals 'The Odyssey' isn't the first film he planned to premiere in India

“The thing that is most surprising is that the scope and the scale that doesn't come at the behest of the emotion. I think you're going to see a movie where you're going to see set pieces that are going to blow you away, and you'll see things that you've never seen before. But I think that because Chris decided to shoot this movie on IMAX, he is welcoming the audience into an experience that I think is really unique. I think that you will get to feel the heartache that Matt portrays so well. You'll get to feel the longing from Anne Hathaway as Penelope. And I think that I've never experienced anything like that as an audience member, let alone as an actor. So I just think people will watch this movie and feel a sense of connection to Chris's work and our work that feels really unique and profound,” said Holland, who will be seen essaying the role of Telemachus, son of Greek king Odysseus, played by Matt Damon.

‘The Odyssey’, which is adapted from Greek poet Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, has many themes, including adventure, identity, and perseverance. Ask which theme Holland is most connected with, and he says, “Well, the adventure is something that excites me. What I love about making movies is you never really know what's around the corner. I'm making a movie with Chris on this scale. You really never know what's around the corner. It could be a 30-foot cyclops.”

Also read: Felt like my one chance to make a David Lean movie: Matt Damon on playing Odysseus in ‘The Odyssey’

“But the idea of self-discovery and identity I find really interesting, especially for a Telemachus. He's a young kid who is becoming a man, and for me, it feels very much like the original coming-of-age story. And I think exploring something like that in a movie of this size was really, really exciting. I know I spoke about it before, but what was so exciting was shooting those really intimate moments on an IMAX camera because it felt like when we were making the movie, you guys were already in the room with us.”

Calling ‘The Odyssey’ “a love letter to cinema”, Holland also highlighted the pressure he felt being a part of this magnanimous movie.

“There really was a sense that this movie is a love letter to cinema and therefore to our audiences, and I think feeling that pressure on a daily basis was really exciting. In some circumstances, pressure is a privilege, and in this movie, it really was. So for me, I think exploring that self-identity and knowing that we were doing it on the biggest stage was really quite something to handle on a daily basis.”

Additionally, Holland also revealed how being a part of a stage play a year before beginning filming of ‘The Odyssey’ helped him understand the process of shooting on IMAX.

Also read: Matt Damon opens up about the 20-year-old debt he owes filmmaker Shekhar Kapur

“I was really lucky that I did a play the year before I did this movie, because working with IMAX and understanding how precious that film was kind of feels a little bit like doing a stage play, where you know that those moments are fleeting, and if you miss it, you'll have to wait till tomorrow to try and get it right. So for me, taking some of that on-stage discipline to the set was really, really helpful when we were trying to find those emotions and bring that to life.”

He further highlighted the difference between acting for theater, a cinema, or a film shot entirely on IMAX.

“There's a big difference between stage acting and film acting, and then there's almost an equal difference between film acting and IMAX acting, because there's a subtlety that you have to bring, just because logistically, you're going to be a hundred feet tall, which I wish I were, by the way, on the IMAX screen. So, figuring that out was a really fun challenge, and I think everyone rose to the occasion.”