“The Odyssey” is predicted to be the biggest hit of the summer, but it’s already getting a lot of backlash for various reasons, especially when it comes to casting.
Chief among these complaints is the fact that Christopher Nolan cast Elliot Page, a woman masquerading as a man, in one of the roles, and that Lupita Nyong&#8217;o, a Kenyan-Mexican actress, will play Helen of Troy.
Nyong’o isn’t making anything easier on herself as she just criticized Homer for his treatment of women. 
&#8220;I want you to imagine, really quick, that you&#8217;re sitting in a movie theater, and you&#8217;re sitting next to Homer,&#8221; interviewer Jake Hamilton said. &#8220;Let&#8217;s say he speaks English. Let&#8217;s say he understands what movies are, and you watch &#8216;The Odyssey.&#8217; When it&#8217;s over, you can lean over and go, &#8216;Okay, cool. What do you think about how I did this?&#8217; What is an aspect of your performance that you&#8217;d love to get his thoughts on?&#8221;
Other members of the cast being interviewed had benign answers, but Nyong’o dove into a rant that has earned some eye rolls. 
Nyong’o replied, &#8220;I would be like, &#8216;So, Homer, how do you feel about the screen time given to these women considering how little you spent with them? Okay?'&#8221;
&#8220;And then do you lean forward and look at him like that?&#8221; Hamilton said while leaning forward and making a face.
&#8220;Yes. Like, &#8216;Hmm? Remember us?'&#8221; Nyong&#8217;o said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="THE ODYSSEY Cast Interview | Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya Talk Nolan&#039;s IMAX Epic" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t7i1d4GIOzE?start=207&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Homer, however, did give a significant amount of attention to women in his writing.
&#8220;OK. So Helen’s beauty sparks a war. Athena is a strategic goddess guiding Odysseus. Penelope embodies clever loyalty. Circe turns men into pigs, which frankly is still the most realistic female character arc in literature. Calypso traps the hero on an island for seven years. Cassandra can literally see the future but nobody listens, making her the first woman in recorded history to experience a meeting,&#8221; one person wrote in a popular <a href="https://x.com/ShawnEni/status/2074234641830248737">post</a> on X.
&#8220;The Sirens weaponize music. Nausicaa saves Odysseus when he washes up naked and useless. Andromache gives one of the most devastating anti-war speeches in the Iliad. Hecuba is basically the emotional wreckage of empire in human form. Aphrodite starts half the problems in Western civilization by being hot and petty. Hera is running divine opposition research. Thetis gets Zeus involved because Achilles is having a workplace dispute.&#8221;
The commenter concludes, &#8220;But apart from Helen, Athena, Penelope, Circe, Calypso, Cassandra, the Sirens, Nausicaa, Andromache, Hecuba, Aphrodite, Hera, and Thetis&#8230; WHAT HAS HOMER EVER DONE TO GIVE FEMALE CHARACTERS ATTENTION?&#8221;
Nyong’o, who also appeared in “Black Panther” and “12 Years a Slave,” was cast in Nolan&#8217;s film to play a character famed for her beauty. This has led to backlash online, as fans point out that the actress looks nothing like Helen of Troy as described in Greek mythology. “The Iliad” describes her as “white-armed” or “pale-armed,” while in “Doctor Faustus,” her face is said to be so beautiful that it “launched a thousand ships.”
Some critics are speculating that Nolan may have chosen a “diverse” cast in homage to DEI standards — and potential Academy Award nominations.
The movie is already getting rave reviews from mainstream critics, but the reactions on social media are a lot more mixed. YouTube no longer shows the number of dislikes on videos, but some estimates that use a workaround to see YouTube dislikes show the film’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyIZ9tiiN8I">final trailer</a> has over 500,000 thumbs-down reactions. It has 69,000 likes.

Lupita Nyong’o

‘Odyssey’ Actress Imagines Schooling Homer On His Treatment Of Women

Christopher Nolan

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Hollywood

Movies

Movie fans are calling out what they see as inconsistencies in Christopher Nolan&#8217;s approach to his upcoming summer blockbuster “The Odyssey.” 
Several creative decisions have raised eyebrows, including the casting of Lupita Nyong&#8217;o as Helen of Troy, the inclusion of a transgender-identifying actress Elliot Page, and the addition of rapper Travis Scott to the cast.
And yet, the Academy Award-winning director drew the line at using orchestral music, saying he felt it would be historically inauthentic.
In a recent <a href="https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/christopher-nolan-odyssey-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Time, composer Ludwig Göransson explained that Nolan told him to avoid orchestral music.
“It’s not like the orchestra existed back then,” Göransson said. “It was a challenge and also an opening to try to make something unique.” The composer instead used “35 bronze gongs of varying sizes” to create the sounds.
Nolan defended his decision to cast Scott during the same conversation, framing it as a thematic choice.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Nolan told Time.  
The “Oppenheimer” director did not address the controversy surrounding Page&#8217;s casting in an as-yet-unknown role, though rumor has it she will play Achilles. 
Nolan did confirm that Nyong&#8217;o will play two roles — Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra. This has led to backlash online, as fans point out that the actress looks nothing like Helen of Troy as described in Greek mythology. “The Iliad” describes her as &#8220;white-armed&#8221; or &#8220;pale-armed,&#8221; while in “Doctor Faustus,” her face is said to be so beautiful that it “launched a thousand ships.&#8221;
Some critics are speculating that Nolan may have chosen a “diverse” cast because he’s hoping for Academy Award nominations. 
The Academy’s current “Representation and Inclusion Standards” <a href="https://www.oscars.org/awards/representation-and-inclusion-standards">state</a> that in order to comply, a film must feature a lead or significant supporting actors from “underrepresented racial or ethnic groups,” include at least 30% of all actors from at least two underrepresented groups, or have the narrative focus on an underrepresented group. 
Since “The Odyssey” is about men, the film would only qualify for Best Picture if it met one of the first two criteria. 
Nolan brushed off the criticism, saying he took liberties with films in the past, too.
“For ‘Interstellar,’ you’re looking at, ‘What is the best speculation of the future?’ When you’re looking at the ancient past, it’s actually the same thing. ‘What is the best speculation and how can I use that to create a world?’”
He went on, “Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about ‘Interstellar.’ But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”
“The Odyssey” is scheduled to hit theaters July 17.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus alongside an ensemble cast of A-list stars, including Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Zendaya as Athena.

Christopher Nolan Bends The Knee To DEI In ‘The Odyssey’

Academy Awards

As fans speculate about casting decisions for Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated summer blockbuster, “The Odyssey,” the Academy Award-winning director is keeping details under wraps other than to say it’s going to be comparable to a Marvel franchise.
Nolan appeared on Monday night’s episode of “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert to discuss some aspects of the project. He said the poet Homer, who is credited with writing “The Odyssey,” created the basis upon which all superhero films are built.
“Even comic book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or DC or all the rest, a lot of it comes directly from the Homeric Epics,” the director said. “The thing about Homer is, nobody knows if that was a person. Homer, in a way, is the sort of George Lucas of his time.”
He said later, “The thing about Homer, it is the Marvel of its day. It’s very directly this desire for us to feel or believe gods could walk amongst us, and I think the modern comic book is kind of our expression of that.”
Nolan also had rave reviews for Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus, calling him an “incredible talent.” 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Superheroes Of Our Time Come Directly From Homer&#039;s Epics - &quot;The Odyssey&quot; Director Christopher Nolan" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mk5FthNfUxg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The “Oppenheimer” director is considered one of the best in the business, but fans are skeptical of a few controversial casting options. Elliot Page, a woman who identifies as a man, is in the cast and is rumored to be playing the Olympian messenger god Hermes. That role has not been confirmed, however.
Another potential casting choice causing an uproar is Lupita Nyong&#8217;o as Helen of Troy. Helen, also known as &#8220;the face that launched a thousand ships,&#8221; was traditionally blonde and considered the most beautiful woman in the world at the time. Critics are saying the decision to cast Nyong’o in that role is a mistake, but it’s only a rumor that she’ll be playing that part. 
Matt Damon portrays Odysseus, King of Ithaca, while Robert Pattinson stars as Antinous. Anne Hathaway was cast as Odysseus’ wife Penelope.
Nolan <a href="https://apnews.com/article/summer-movie-preview-2026-b09b6e9cd8c679a07b95ce5cc7512a74">told</a> the Associated Press last week that he felt a “massive amount of pressure” to adapt the story and said that he “really tried to make the best film possible.”
“Anyone taking on ‘The Odyssey’ is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility,” he told the outlet. “What I learned from [making ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy] is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation. They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it.”
The saga hits theaters on July 17, 2026.

‘The Odyssey’ Director Keeps Mum On Role Going To Trans-Identifying Actor

Elliot Page

Matt Damon

The trailer for Christopher Nolan&#8217;s highly-anticipated drama “The Odyssey” was released today.
In the trailer, Matt Damon portrays Odysseus, King of Ithaca, based on the ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. The film’s hero can be seen leading his soldiers home after the Trojan War in treacherous conditions.
There’s also a brief moment showing Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son Telemachus and Anne Hathaway as Odysseus’ wife Penelope. “Promise me you will come back,” Penelope says at one point.
“What if I can’t?” Odysseus replies.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Odyssey | Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mzw2ttJD2qQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Other actors in the movie include Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo.
Academy Award-winning director Nolan, known for critically acclaimed projects such as “Oppenheimer” (2023) and “Inception” (2010), spoke about the project during an <a href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/christopher-nolan-the-odyssey-epic-to-end-all-epics-cn-exclusive/">interview</a> with Empire magazine last month. 
“I mean, it truly contains all stories,” Nolan said. “As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with — Ray Harryhausen movies and other things — I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.”
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He also described what it was like filming at sea for four months. “It’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift. We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world,” Nolan told the outlet. “By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways…because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.”
The saga hits theaters on July 17, 2026.

Unreal First Trailer For Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Drops

U.S.

Israeli actor Alon Aboutboul, 60, who appeared in over 100 films and TV episodes, including the films “The Dark Knight Rises,” “London Has Fallen,” “Rambo III,” “Body of Lies,” and the TV series “Snowfall,” in which he played the recurring role of Avi Drexler, <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/07/alon-aboutboul-dead-the-dark-knight-rises-60-1236473115/">died on a Tel Aviv beach</a> after he collapsed and lifeguards failed to resuscitate him with CPR.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about the sudden passing of the actor Alon Aboutboul, may his memory be blessed,” Miki Zohar, Israel’s minister for culture and sport, wrote on X. “Over the years, he portrayed a wide range of characters, bringing depth and emotion to them, leaving a profound mark on Israeli culture.”
“Alon was a brilliant actor, a true artist, an Israeli icon… but more importantly he was a loving father of his four children, and a dear friend of mine and many others,” his manager, Mark Teitelbaum, told <a href="https://ew.com/alon-aboutboul-dead-the-dark-knight-rises-actor-60-11781455">Entertainment Weekly</a>. “He possessed both a moral and spiritual clarity that is rare to find. As you might imagine, his family is in shock. He will be deeply missed. May his memory be a blessing.”
“To American audiences, Aboutboul was most recognizable for playing Dr. Pavel, the nuclear scientist kidnapped by the villainous Bane in the airborne prologue to Christopher Nolan’s Batman threequel,” EW noted.
Aboutboul&#8217;s co-star Amin Joseph wrote on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMsjI_2R17h/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=4c840b71-ac77-4c56-837c-775166a45976">Instagram</a>, “Rest in peace to the plug. Rest in power, Alon Aboutboul. Your work as Abi Drexler on Snowfall left a lasting impression—sharp, layered, unforgettable. You brought truth to every frame. Grateful we shared the screen.”
Aboutboul is survived by his wife, Shir Bilia; and their four children.

“A Place In Heaven” Portraits – 2013 Toronto International Film Festival

Israeli Actor From ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ And ‘Snowfall’ Dies At 60 On Tel Aviv Beach

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Will Smith has revealed that he passed on starring roles in several of the biggest films in Hollywood — seemingly huge misses that he calls &#8220;beautiful scars.&#8221;
The 56-year-old actor has discussed turning down several major movie roles, including parts in “The Matrix,” “Inception,” and “Django Unchained.” Smith revealed some of the reasons why he passed on those projects, including not understanding the point the movies were trying to make and having a difference of opinion about the narratives.
During a June 2025 <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/will-smith-inception-offer-plot-confusing-1236432602/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Kiss Xtra, Smith revealed that director Christopher Nolan offered him the lead in the hit film “Inception” (2010), but he decided not to take it.
“Chris Nolan brought me ‘Inception’ first, and I didn’t get it. I’ve never said that out loud,” he told the outlet of the sci-fi action heist film.
“Movies that go into those alternate realities…they don’t pitch well,” he continued, explaining that the concept of dreams within dreams did not make sense to him during the pitch process.
“Inception,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role that Smith turned down, earned over $839 million worldwide.
Nolan’s blockbuster isn’t the only time Smith made a big mistake in turning down movie roles. The actor previously confirmed that he turned down the role of Neo in “The Matrix” (1999), a part that later went to Keanu Reeves and helped define the latter’s Hollywood career.
In a 2019 video posted on YouTube, Smith said, “I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth…I did turn down Neo.” He explained that the pitch didn’t sway him because it left him confused. “That was one of my beautiful scars…But there’s a fine line in a pitch meeting between genius and what I experienced.”
<div id="attachment_947631" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-947631" class="size-large wp-image-947631" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1239558965-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1239558965-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1239558965-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1239558965-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1239558965.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Will Smith slaps Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
The actor explained how the pitch sounded to him at the time, including how the scene involving the iconic slow motion action sequences was described.
“We’re thinking like…imagine you’re in a fight. You, like, jump. Imagine if you could stop jumping in the middle of the jump,” he <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/will-smith-matrix-inception-christopher-nolan-b2773588.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, per The Independent.
“But then, people could see around you 360 degrees while you stop jumping. We’re going to invent these cameras and then people can see the whole jump when you stop in the middle of the jump.”
Instead of taking the role in “The Matrix,” Smith chose to star in “Wild Wild West,” which did not achieve the same level of critical or commercial success. “The Matrix” went on to earn approximately $460 million globally and remains a cultural touchstone.
And that’s not all. The Hollywood A-lister also turned down the Quentin Tarantino film “Django Unchained” (2012) after being approached early on for the lead role, which ultimately went to Jamie Foxx.
In a 2015 roundtable <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/will-smith-mark-ruffalo-four-842621/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussion</a> with The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he had a difference of opinion with Tarantino about the film’s narrative.
“It was about the creative direction of the story,” he said at the time. “To me, it’s as perfect a story as you could ever want: a guy that learns how to kill to retrieve his wife that has been taken as a slave. That idea is perfect. And it was just that Quentin [Tarantino] and I couldn’t see [eye to eye]. I wanted to make the greatest love story that African-Americans had ever seen.”
“We talked, we met, we sat for hours and hours about it,” Smith explained at the time. “I wanted to make that movie so badly, but I felt the only way was, it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story. I don’t believe in violence as the reaction to violence. So when I’m looking at that, it’s like, ‘No, no, no. It has to be for love.’”
In a later appearance on his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, Smith mentioned that he turned down the role because of his family.
“I was going to do Django,” he <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/12/will-smith-turned-down-django-unchained-so-it-wouldnt-affect-his-kids?srsltid=AfmBOorXrpLAasO0nYKR6-7it1lop3aUUcZmYBsfWF5H3yJNjPCl7w9N" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We had a family meeting and we all talked about Django. I wasn’t all the way in, but one of the main reasons that I wasn’t was the looks on your faces ’cause you knew what that would mean and those characters seep back into the house.”
Smith has described these decisions as “beautiful scars,” acknowledging them as significant moments in his career. He used the phrase in both interviews and in his 2025 song “Beautiful Scars,” where he referenced “The Matrix” and other surprising career choices.
The song and music video feature Smith reenacting a scene from &#8220;The Matrix&#8221; where Smith is offered the red and blue pills. In the video, Smith is offered the choice to go back and star in &#8220;The Matrix,&#8221; but he ultimately chooses to embrace his past choices and let it go.
Despite passing on these films, Smith has chosen some hits in Hollywood, including “Independence Day,” “Men in Black,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He won an Academy Award for his work in “King Richard” in 2022, which was the same night of the now-infamous slap he gave to Oscars host Chris Rock.

Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Focus” – Arrivals

No To Neo: Why Did Will Smith Turn Down So Many Big Roles?

Will Smith

While not many details have been released about Christopher Nolan’s upcoming historical drama, “The Odyssey,” the studio behind it is making big promises.
Universal Studios’ distribution chief, Jim Orr, gave the film a rave review during an appearance at CinemaCon this week. He called Nolan’s adaptation of the classic tale “a visionary, once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would quite likely be proud of.”
While he delivered the line with all seriousness, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/christopher-nolan-odyssey-masterpiece-universal-says-1236358279/">Variety</a>, it did cause some audience members to break out in laughter at the idea. 
Orr went on to mention how Nolan “assembled a staggering all-star cast,” including big-time Hollywood players such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron. Other stars involved include John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie, Cosmo Jarvis, and Ryan Hurst.
So far, it’s been revealed that Damon will take on the role of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. None of the other casting choices have been confirmed yet.
The film is <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/christopher-nolan-the-odyssey-movie-universal-pictures-1236179804/">described</a> by Universal as a “mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new Imax film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to Imax film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Odyssey by Homer is an ancient Greek epic that follows Odysseus on a long and dangerous journey home after the Trojan War. The hero is forced to contend with mythical creatures, vengeful gods, and numerous trials as he struggles for ten years to return to his home, where his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, are waiting for him. Odysseus ultimately reclaims his kingdom by proving his identity and defeating those who tried to steal his throne.
Nolan’s last project, “Oppenheimer,” took home seven Academy Awards in 2024, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Cinematography, Film Editing, and Original Score. 
According to multiple reports, “The Odyssey” is rumored to be the most expensive film of Nolan’s career, with an estimated $250 million budget. John Leguizamo said during an interview with “Morning Joe” that Nolan was running the project like an “indie film.”
“Dude, you know the thing is, okay he’s got a crazy budget, it’s not small, but he runs [it] like an indie film because he’s not doing it by committee, he’s not doing it by what the studio says,” the actor said last month, per <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/odyssey-john-leguizamo-christopher-nolan-indie-filmmaker-b2720323.html">The Independent</a>.
“He’s like an indie filmmaker but with crazy money,” he added.

Universal Exec Says ‘Homer Himself’ Would Be ‘Proud’ Of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Adaptation

Universal Exec Says 'Homer Himself' Would Be 'Proud' Of Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' Adaptation

Oscar-winning actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Anne Hathaway</a> said she was negatively affected by online harassment a decade ago but credited filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-nolan">Christopher Nolan</a> with helping ensure her career survived. 
The 41-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">star</a> reflected on the drama during a new cover interview for <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/anne-hathaway-cover-story">Vanity Fair</a>.
“All the advice that you’re given is to protect yourself. ‘Everybody’s dangerous and everybody’s trying to get something from you.’&#8230; People were advising me that I armor myself and keep that distance, and that I have two selves,” Hathaway explained. 
“I found that terribly confusing,” she told the outlet. “So I don’t do it that way. I’m not armored. Which is a boon for acting, because your emotions are accessible. But when you’re criticized, it’s acutely painful.”
“This was a language I had employed with myself since I was seven. And when your self-inflicted pain is suddenly somehow amplified back at you at, say, the full volume of the internet…. It’s a thing,” Hathaway said of being criticized by the public and the media. 
She said Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan helped her by ignoring her reputation. The “Devil Wears Prada” actress said, “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online. I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of.”
Nolan cast Hathaway in the dystopian thriller “Interstellar” (2014) opposite Matthew McConaughey. “I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect,” Hathaway said. “And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me.”
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 The vitriol against Hathaway began after she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her role in “Les Miserables.” Headlines dominating the entertainment news cycle pitted her against her contemporary, Jennifer Lawrence. 
“Anne Hathaway can’t win,” one popular Buzzfeed <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/anne-hathaway-syndrome">article</a> declared, dubbing the phenomenon of checking every box for being a successful actress but still facing criticism for an unknown flaw as “Anne Hathaway syndrome.” 
Some other articles on the topic include: “Why Do Women Hate Anne Hathaway? (But Love Jennifer Lawrence?)” (New York Magazine); “Anne Hathaway vs. Jennifer Lawrence: Why we hate one and love the other” (The Globe and Mail), and “The Happy Girl vs. The Cool Girl: Why People Don’t Like Anne Hathaway” (IndieWire).

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway Recalls Online Hatred Creating A ‘Toxic’ Identity, Says ‘Angel’ Christopher Nolan Saved Her Career

Anne Hathaway Recalls Online Hatred Creating A 'Toxic' Identity, Says 'Angel' Christopher Nolan Saved Her Career

&#8216;Oppenheimer&#8217; movie scored big at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, taking home seven Oscars from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the annual awards show, and the Christopher Nolan-directed film took home seven out of 13 nominations. Those included Best Picture of the Year, which beat out the likes of Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oppenheimer-review-the-amazing-christopher-nolan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;Oppenheimer&#8217;</a> also won Best Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, and Best Music (Original Score). Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for his performance in the thriller/mystery, and Robert Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor.
During his acceptance speech, <a href="https://x.com/ABC/status/1767008486167056837?s=20">Murphy</a> said making the film was the &#8220;wildest, most exhilarating, most creatively satisfying journey&#8221; he&#8217;s had &#8220;over the last twenty years.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscar</a> winners only. <a href="https://t.co/gR0tVKZlY6">pic.twitter.com/gR0tVKZlY6</a>
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/etnow/status/1767024100915151080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Every single crew member, every single cast member on OPPENHEIMER, you guys carried me through,&#8221; he added. &#8220;All my fellow nominees, I remain in awe of you guys. Truly.&#8221;
Murphy thanked his &#8220;incredible team&#8221; and then his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, who he said is his &#8220;partner in life.&#8221; He also thanked their two boys, Malachy and Aran.
&#8220;So, you know, we made a film &#8212; we made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb,&#8221; Murphy continued. &#8220;And for better or for worse, we&#8217;re all living in Oppenheimer&#8217;s world. So I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.&#8221;
Yorgos Lanthimos-directed &#8220;Poor Things,&#8221; a film about a sex-crazed woman with a child’s brain, took home the next highest number of honors, bringing home four out of 11 nominations. Those included Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, along with<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/emma-stones-new-movie-about-sex-crazed-woman-with-a-childs-brain-generates-oscar-buzz"> Emma Stone</a> taking home the Oscar for Best Actress,
&#8220;The other night I was panicking &#8212; as you can kind of see, it happens a lot &#8212; that maybe something like this could happen,&#8221; Stone <a href="https://x.com/THR/status/1767012706651910513?s=20">said</a> during her acceptance speech. &#8220;And Yorgos said to me, &#8216;Please take yourself out of it.&#8217; And he was right, because it&#8217;s not about me. It&#8217;s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.&#8221;
&#8220;And that is the best part about making movies,&#8221; she added. &#8220;It&#8217;s all of us together. And I am so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film.&#8221;
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She closed out her acceptance speech by thanking her family, her husband, and their 3-year-old daughter, who she said &#8220;has turned our lives technicolor.&#8221;
&#8220;The Holdovers&#8221; star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-holdovers-star-davine-joy-randolph-praises-god-in-oscars-acceptance-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Da’Vine Randolph</a> praised God during her acceptance speech when she received the award for Best Supporting Actress, her first Oscar and first nomination.
Greta Gerwig&#8217;s &#8220;Barbie&#8221; received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Costume Design, and Production Design. However, the film only won one award for Best Original Song: &#8220;What Was I Made For?&#8221; by Billie Eilish and brother Finneas O’Connell.
One of the highlights of the night had to be when &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barbie-banned-in-kuwait-and-lebanon-could-be-next-as-govt-official-says-it-promotes-homosexuality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie</a>&#8221; star Ryan Gosling took the stage to perform &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/DEADLINE/status/1767002189770227823?s=20">I’m Just Ken</a>.&#8221; It is fair to say it brought the house down and led to the star getting a standing ovation.
&nbsp;

Oppenheimer

‘Oppenheimer’ Sweeps 96th Academy Awards

Barbie

Jimmy Kimmel

&#8220;Oppenheimer&#8221; star Cillian Murphy conceded during a recent interview that his costar, Oscar-winning actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Damon</a>, was probably justified in calling him &#8220;the worst dinner companion imaginable.&#8221;
Murphy, who played the title role in the Christopher Nolan-directed historical drama, told &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; host Scott Pelley that — at least while they were still filming — he had probably been more interested in staying in character and getting enough sleep than he was in entertaining at dinner.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Matt Damon says, &quot;Cillian is the worst dinner companion imaginable.&quot; Hear Cillian Murphy&#39;s reaction. <a href="https://t.co/FNkS0GJWQC">https://t.co/FNkS0GJWQC</a> <a href="https://t.co/a2UkC9xlNF">pic.twitter.com/a2UkC9xlNF</a>
&mdash; 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1759548383763525706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pelley put the question to Murphy directly, saying, &#8220;Matt Damon told me that &#8216;Cillian is the worst dinner companion imaginable.'&#8221;
Murphy laughed, and Pelley explained: &#8220;What he meant by that was when you&#8217;re working on a film — when you&#8217;re being the character — there&#8217;s very little room in your head for anything else.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah, I mean, I&#8217;ve always been like that, I think,&#8221; Murphy said, still laughing. &#8220;But it&#8217;s because, to me, you have the time on set, which is short enough time — you have 10 hours, maybe. And then the other part, if you&#8217;ve got a significant part, you&#8217;re having to keep your lines fresh.&#8221;
&#8220;And then the other big thing for me is sleeping. I love sleeping and I need sleep,&#8221; Murphy continued. He went on to explain that in the weeks after filming wrapped, he and Damon had eaten together on a number of occasions while promoting the film: &#8220;lots of lovely dinners.&#8221;
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&#8220;At the time, yeah, you just don&#8217;t have the room, like you say, in your head, and you want as much sleep as possible,&#8221; he said.
Murphy&#8217;s dedication to craft appears to have paid off — his turn in &#8220;Oppenheimer&#8221; earned him his first <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15398776/awards/?ref_=tt_awd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Academy Award nomination</a> in the Best Actor category. He already won in that same category at the 2024 Golden Globes and the 2024 BAFTA Awards in London. Costars Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt were also nominated for Academy Awards in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories, respectively. The film is nominated for Best Picture, and Nolan is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Directing as well, among 13 nominations total.

2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards – Red Carpet Arrivals

‘Oppenheimer’ Star Explains Why Matt Damon Called Him ‘The Worst Dinner Companion Imaginable’

'Oppenheimer' Star Explains Why Matt Damon Called Him 'The Worst Dinner Companion Imaginable'

60 Minutes

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-nolan">Christopher Nolan</a> is reflecting on the overwhelming success of his epic biographical <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">film</a>, “Oppenheimer,” and what it means for the future of the movie industry.
The 53-year-old British <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">filmmaker</a> made his thoughts known during an appearance on the “Countdown to the BAFTAS” podcast, as Variety <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/01/sports/mark-andrews-saves-womans-life-on-plane-truly-amazing/">reported</a>. Nolan talked about how the movie’s box office success proves that movie fans are willing to return to theaters in person and that they’re not only looking for superhero and franchise films.
“Everybody has a tendency to talk down the movie business,” he said. “Really for the whole time I think I’ve been working in movies, I felt the sort of cultural establishment always predicting the demise of movie theaters. Now I get asked that question, you know, ‘What do I think about the health of the movie business?’ I don’t really know how to respond. We just released a three-hour, R-rated film about quantum physics and it made a billion dollars. Like what? Obviously our view is that the audience is there and they’re excited to see something new.”
Nolan continued, “The success of ‘Oppenheimer’ certainly points to a sort of post-franchise, post-IP landscape for movies … It’s kind of encouraging. It reminds the studios that there is an appetite for something people haven’t seen before or an approach to things that people haven’t seen before.”
“Something like ‘Oppenheimer’ working gives other filmmakers a point of reference for how something can work in the marketplace that the studio can relate to,” the eight-time Academy Award nominee said during the podcast appearance.
His comments come just after several big-budget franchise productions, including “The Flash,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels,” all had underwhelming results at the box office. Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie&#8221; were among the top 10 highest grossing projects of last year.
The outlet noted that Nolan himself has worked on franchise films and said in the past that Hollywood should include a healthy mix of both originals and sequels or remakes.
 “There’s always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want,” the “Batman Begins” director <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GknbfwhwrVs">told</a> AP during a 2023 interview. 
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“That’s always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood, and it pays for a lot of other types of films to be made and distributed,” he added. “But there also always has to be respect for the audience’s desire for something new. That’s one of the big thrills of going to the movies is, frankly, seeing a trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of or type of movie you haven’t seen. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things and always has been.”

Christopher Nolan Reacts To His ‘Post-Franchise, Post-IP Landscape’ Film Clearing Almost $1B: ‘It’s Kind Of Encouraging’

Christopher Nolan Reacts To His 'Post-Franchise, Post-IP Landscape' Film Clearing Almost $1B: 'It's Kind Of Encouraging'

The 81st <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/golden-globes">Golden Globes</a> aired Sunday night, and with that came some expected outcomes along with a few surprises.
Viewers expected “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Oppenheimer</a>” to own the night after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">blockbuster</a> biopic was nominated in eight categories. The Christopher Nolan drama was indeed a <a href="https://goldenglobes.com/">big winner</a>, taking home five awards, including Best Drama and Best Director.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">comedy</a> “Poor Things,” which was inspired by “Frankenstein,” was the surprise winner over “Barbie” in the Best Comedy or Musical category.
“Barbie” made more than $1.4 billion worldwide, but that didn’t translate into wins at the Globes. The Greta Gerwig-directed project was nominated in nine categories but only had two wins in minor categories: Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”
One of the biggest surprise upsets for “Barbie” was losing Best Screenplay to “Anatomy of a Fall.” This decision comes on the heels of the Academy ruling that “Barbie” must compete in the Oscars later this year under the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oscars-committee-determines-barbie-is-an-adapted-screenplay-not-original">Adapted Screenplay category</a> rather than as an Original Screenplay, which they petitioned for.
Because “Barbie” nabbed the Box Office Achievement award, it left Taylor Swift high and dry with zero wins. Her “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film, which smashed records in the concert film genre, was only nominated in that single category. 
Other big success stories of the night included the HBO comedy-drama “Succession,” which earned four wins, including Best Drama. “Beef,” a Netflix limited series exploring the fallout of a road rage incident, also won in three categories.
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Lily Gladstone won Best Female Actor in a Drama for her portrayal of an Osage woman in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Emma Stone won Best Female Actor in a Comedy for “Poor Things.”
Paul Giamatti was named Best Actor in a Comedy for “The Holdovers” while Cillian Murphy won Best Actor in a Drama for “Oppenheimer.
“Succession” stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook won Best Male Actor and Best Female Actor in a TV Drama. Best Actor in a TV Musical or Comedy went to Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear” while Best Actress was awarded to Ayo Edibiri for her work on the same series.
The Globes had some drama several years ago pertaining to alleged sexism and racism. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved in the wake of the crisis, which led to the new show moving from NBC to CBS as the production fought to reclaim its place as the third-biggest award show of the year following the Oscars and Grammys.

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