Tom Holland Serves Smoldering Leading-Man Energy on GQ’s ‘The Odyssey’ Cover

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most ambitious films of his career, and a new feature from GQ has revealed just how challenging the production really was.

The magazine recently released a major cover story focused on the film, featuring a special photoshoot with stars Tom Holland, Matt Damon, and Robert Pattinson. Alongside the striking images, the cast and Nolan shared stories from the demanding shoot, which took them across multiple countries and some of the most difficult filming locations imaginable.

The Odyssey was filmed in six countries during a 91-day production schedule. The movie traveled through Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States. The scale of the project was so large that even veteran actors found themselves surprised by what Nolan was attempting.

Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus in the film, admitted he had never worked on anything quite like it.

“Every single location on this movie would’ve been the hardest location on any other movie I’ve ever done,” Damon told GQ. “And they just went back-to-back.”

One of the most challenging locations was a remote castle in Sicily that serves as the movie’s version of Ithaca, the home of Odysseus. The castle sat nearly 900 feet above the ground, requiring cast and crew members to hike up a steep path every day. In some cases, helicopters were needed to transport equipment.

Robert Pattinson, who plays Antinous, recalled arriving midway through production and immediately noticing how exhausted everyone looked.

“I’ve never seen people look so exhausted,” Pattinson said. “At the end of every day people were broken.”

Tom Holland, who portrays Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, also spoke about his first experience stepping onto the massive production. The actor admitted he was shocked by the sheer scale of what Nolan had built.

“I remember walking down this beach for half an hour,” Holland said. “I’m just seeing Greek soldier, Greek soldier, Greek boat, Greek soldier. I haven’t seen any evidence of a film set.”

The actor said it felt less like a movie production and more like a historical recreation unfolding in front of him.

The feature also highlighted Nolan’s reputation for precision and efficiency. Holland revealed that accepting the role almost caused a scheduling conflict with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Because the filming dates overlapped, he had to speak directly with Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman about adjusting the Spider-Man schedule.

Fortunately, everything worked out.

“Any other director, it might have been a slightly different conversation,” Holland explained.

The trust in Nolan paid off. According to the report, The Odyssey started filming exactly when planned and finished nine days ahead of schedule.

Nolan also reflected on the themes that continue to appear throughout his work. While many of his films explore time, he believes family has become an equally important focus in his storytelling.

“The tension is in so many of my films between family and wanting to be with family and having responsibilities outside of that,” Nolan said.

With a reported budget of around $250 million, a massive international shoot, and an all-star cast led by Damon, Holland, and Pattinson, The Odyssey is already being described as Nolan’s most ambitious project yet. The new GQ photoshoot and behind-the-scenes stories offer fans an early glimpse at the scale and dedication that went into bringing the legendary tale to life.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!