Holland Calls Pattinson 'So Good at Being a Dickhead' for Odyssey

Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Tom Holland said he 'could relax' after Robert Pattinson was cast as Antinous in Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' telling EW's Around the Table that Pattinson is 'so good at being a dickhead'
- Robert Pattinson plays Antinous — one of Penelope's suitors — opposite Holland's Telemachus, the son of Matt Damon's Odysseus; Anne Hathaway plays Penelope
- Holland described the Telemachus-Antinous friction as 'so important for my entire journey,' saying the tension drives his character's 'desperate decision' to embark on his own quest
- Tom Holland and Pattinson have now made three films together: 'The Odyssey' alongside 'The Lost City of Z' (2016) and 'The Devil All the Time' (2020)
- Holland said Pattinson 'raises the stakes of every scene,' adding that he 'always felt like I've left the set a better actor' after working with him
- 'The Odyssey' ensemble also includes John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Benny Safdie, and Charlize Theron
Why it matters: Promotional rollout aside, Holland's comments frame Pattinson as the tonal anchor of the film's opening act — the friction between Telemachus and Antinous 'establishes the stakes of the movie' before Damon appears. A three-film working relationship now positions the Holland-Pattinson pairing as a recurring creative pairing the studio is clearly exploiting.




