Tom Holland just shared a fun story about how he told his wife, Zendaya, that she had landed a role in Christopher Nolan‘s new movie, ‘The Odyssey‘, and honestly, it’s pretty cute.
While speaking to Access Hollywood, Holland explained that during his own casting meeting, Nolan suddenly said something like “don’t take this the wrong way” before asking his real question. Naturally, Holland’s mind jumped somewhere else entirely. “I thought he was going to ask me like, ‘Can we put like lifts in your shoes or something make you taller?‘” Holland said. But that wasn’t it at all. Nolan actually wanted to know if Holland would be okay with him approaching Zendaya to play the goddess Athena.
Tom Holland’s Sneaky Way of Telling Zendaya About Her Athena Casting
Holland didn’t hesitate. He told Nolan he’d be honored and that he knew Zendaya would say yes right away. Then Nolan gave him a little job to do: to just break the news to her himself.
Instead of just telling her straight up, Holland decided to have some fun with it. When Zendaya asked how his meeting went, he told her to go read the script again. She said she already had. He told her to read it again anyway, and this time really pay attention to one character. “Just read it again, but read Athena, like, really closely,” he said. It didn’t take her long to figure it out. Watching her face change as it clicked was, in his words, simply amazing.
Zendaya Confirms the Surprise Athena Casting Story in ‘The Odyssey’
Zendaya has backed up the story in her own interview. She said she was already thrilled that Holland got his role in the film. Then he came home and asked her to reread something with a certain character in mind. Her first reaction was basically that he had to be kidding.
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According to Deadline, she said the whole thing caught her totally off guard, since she had no clue she was even being considered before that night. Zendaya admitted, “I was incredibly grateful that I just even got to be a part of it, too. I didn’t see that coming.”
Tom Holland and Zendaya Reunite On Screen in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’
The story has become one of the most talked-about real-life moments tied to Nolan’s new film, which brings Holland and Zendaya back together on screen for the first time outside Spider-Man. In ‘The Odyssey‘, Holland plays Telemachus, who’s searching for his father, while Zendaya plays Athena, the goddess guiding him along the way. The cast also includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Robert Pattinson as one of Penelope’s suitors, along with Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and a huge supporting cast.
Nolan started writing ‘The Odyssey‘ back in 2024, with casting happening from late that year into early 2025. The whole thing was shot on IMAX cameras, and since its premiere in London, it’s been getting strong reviews for its scale and ambition.
Still, for Holland and Zendaya, this little backstage story might end up being just as loved by fans as the movie itself. It’s a sweet, slightly cheeky moment between two actors who happen to be married, reunited by one of the most detail-obsessed directors around, and by his oddly careful, almost shy way of asking a favor.
You might also want to read: “I Think This Will Upset Marvel”: Tom Holland Says Christopher Nolan’s Preparation For ‘The Odyssey’ Surpasses Anything He’s Seen In The MCU
