Anne Hathaway Breaks Silence on Playing Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

Anne Hathaway is opening up about her role as Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic ‘The Odyssey’, explaining why she sees the legendary queen of Ithaca as much more than someone simply waiting for her husband to return.

In Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s famous story, Hathaway plays Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, portrayed by Matt Damon. While Odysseus faces monsters, deadly creatures and dangerous enemies during his long journey home after the Trojan War, Penelope has her own battle to fight. Back in Ithaca, she must protect her home and her throne from powerful people who want to take control, including Robert Pattinson’s Antinous.

Speaking with Empire, Hathaway explained that she wanted to show Penelope as a strong and active character instead of someone who is only waiting for Odysseus to come back.

“There’s a way to think about her that she is just kind of passively, quietly waiting,” Hathaway told Empire. “But I didn’t see her like that. I saw her as this incredible, active, ride-or-die partner.”

The actress said that Penelope’s love for Odysseus was one of the most important parts of understanding the character. For Hathaway, the queen’s loyalty does not come from obligation or tradition, but from a deep personal connection.

“I wanted her to have a sense of danger to her. That she’s not doing this out of a sense of duty — she genuinely loves [Odysseus] with her whole fiery soul,” she said.

One of Penelope’s most famous moments in Homer’s original story is her clever plan to delay choosing a new husband. With many suitors pressuring her to remarry, she tells them she must first finish weaving a burial cloth. However, every night she secretly removes the work she completed during the day, allowing her to buy more time while waiting for Odysseus.

Bringing that scene to life also required Hathaway to learn the ancient craft of weaving. The actress admitted that she was not naturally skilled at it, but she enjoyed learning the process for the movie.

“I’m not known for my craft work,” Hathaway joked while speaking about learning the technique. She explained that she practiced on a small loom before working with the larger one created for the production.

“We practiced on a makeshift loom. And then I got some time to practice on the big one that was on set. It was lovely,” she said. “There’s something so rhythmic about it.”

By the time filming began, Hathaway had become comfortable with the process, but she also found that small mistakes actually helped the performance.

“I was like, ‘Well, I guess she does unpick it every night, so it doesn’t have to be perfect,’” she added.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, ‘The Odyssey’ features a massive cast that includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and many others. The film adapts one of the oldest and most influential stories in history, combining myth, adventure and personal drama.

While audiences are expected to see huge battles and legendary creatures, Hathaway’s comments suggest that Penelope’s emotional journey will be just as important as Odysseus’ dangerous voyage.

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