Zendaya on playing Athena in Nolan's 'The Odyssey': 'I was so nervous'
Synopsis
Zendaya says she was 'so nervous' filming the sack of Troy on Christopher Nolan's colossal Morocco set for 'The Odyssey' — but the adrenaline made her forget it was cold and raining. Her take on Athena as a mirror of Odysseus's own moral guilt is a striking creative angle for one of the year's most anticipated epics.
Key Takeaways
Zendaya plays the goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan 's The Odyssey , premiering worldwide on 17 July .
She described Athena as ‘a reflection of the moral struggle that Odysseus is having within himself’ — a form of ‘tough love’.
Her first scenes were filmed on a massive immersive set in Morocco , recreating the sack of Troy .
Zendaya admitted she was ‘so nervous’ but said the scale of Nolan's sets made her feel she had ‘stepped into Troy’.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus , king of Ithaca , in this adaptation of Homer 's ancient Greek epic.
Zendaya has opened up about the nerves, exhilaration, and emotional depth that went into playing the goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated epic, The Odyssey, set to premiere in theatres worldwide on 17 July. The actress described finding her way into the role by anchoring the deity's divinity in recognisably human qualities.
How Zendaya Found Athena
Rather than approaching Athena as an untouchable mythological figure, Zendaya said she leaned into the emotional core of the character. “I really connected with the emotional component of it,” she said. In her reading of the role, Athena is less a remote goddess and more a mirror held up to the hero's inner conflict.
“Athena becomes a reflection of the moral struggle that Odysseus is having within himself,” Zendaya explained. “You realise that the manifestation of this goddess is a kind of tough love, guiding him and bringing him through his journey. In a deeper sense, I think he is haunted by the decisions that he has made and the pain that he has caused. Coming to terms with that is part of fighting to get back to his own family.”
First Days on Set: The Sack of Troy in Morocco
Zendaya's earliest shooting days placed her squarely in the deep end — on Nolan's gigantic, immersive set in Morocco, filming the sack of Troy. The scale of the production, she recalled, was almost disorienting in the best possible way.
“I was so nervous,” she admitted. “Let's just say it was intense. And that's to say nothing of the world Chris created for us. The sets are so massive and there's so much detail and thought in every costume, set piece. I didn't have to do much acting because I felt I had stepped into Troy.”
Despite cold, rainy conditions on location, Zendaya said the adrenaline of the shoot kept everything else at bay. “It was exhilarating and almost felt like a dream. It was cold and raining, but I think with the adrenaline, I didn't feel it. Everybody kept asking me, 'Do you want a jacket?' I was so fired up I forgot it was cold.”
About the Film
The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from Homer's ancient Greek epic of the same name. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, chronicling his long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and his encounters with mythical beings as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope.
The film premieres in theatres worldwide on 17 July, and early buzz around its production scale and cast has made it one of the most anticipated releases of the year.
Point of View
And one that aligns with Nolan's track record of grounding mythic or abstract concepts in psychological realism. What's notable is how little of the promotion so far has centred on spectacle alone; the cast is being asked to articulate emotional architecture, not just visual scale. Whether a Homer adaptation can sustain that interiority across a blockbuster runtime is the real question mainstream coverage hasn't pressed hard enough.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Zendaya play in Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'?
Zendaya plays the goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan's epic fantasy film 'The Odyssey'. She has described the character as a reflection of Odysseus's own moral struggle, offering him a form of tough love throughout his journey.
When does 'The Odyssey' release in theatres?
'The Odyssey' premieres in theatres worldwide on 17 July. The film is written and directed by Christopher Nolan and is an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic.
Who stars as Odysseus in Nolan's 'The Odyssey'?
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, in 'The Odyssey'. The film follows his perilous journey home after the Trojan War and his encounters with mythical beings.
Where was 'The Odyssey' filmed?
Portions of the film, including the sack of Troy sequence, were shot on a large immersive set in Morocco. Zendaya described the sets as 'so massive' with extraordinary detail in every costume and set piece.
How did Zendaya prepare for the role of Athena?
Zendaya said she connected with the emotional component of Athena rather than approaching her as a remote deity. She focused on the goddess's human qualities and her deep connection to Odysseus's inner moral conflict.
