The Odyssey’s Himesh Patel Would Follow Matt Damon Into War
A month after Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey premiered, audiences and star Himesh Patel are still reflecting on the epic film. Patel, who also shot the pilot for Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot, shared his thoughts on leadership, fate, and righteous victory.
Patel, who was famously transformed into a pig during filming, described the experience as both "repulsive" and "kind of great." The film has been in theaters for a month, breaking records, popularizing 70-mm IMAX, and sparking extensive discussion. Patel fondly recalled the "two thrilling, fascinating, absurd days" he spent rapidly eating on set, with Nolan and Matt Damon encouraging him: "Just keep going," Patel remembered the director saying. "It’s gonna be disgusting."
When his casting was announced, Patel faced backlash from those who couldn't imagine someone of Indian descent in The Odyssey. He found the outrage amusing, telling VF with a chuckle, "we’re talking about 'an ancient Greek myth with the cyclops in it and a witch who turns men into pigs. But we can’t have an Indian.'" Patel’s performance as Eurylochus, Odysseus’s second-in-command, has since been widely praised as a standout. The production itself was an odyssey, with the cast traveling through Scotland, Italy, the Western Sahara, and Greece, enduring various weather conditions. To get through particularly long shooting days, Patel would remind himself, "It’s okay. There’s Samantha Morton at the top of the hill."
