Zendaya on Sharing ‘The Odyssey’ with Tom Holland: ‘Such a Gift’ (Exclusive)

Zendaya and John Leguizamo sat down with “Extra’s” Terri Seymour to talk “The Odyssey.” 

The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and shows his perilous journey home after the Trojan War. Zendaya stars as Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, and strategic counsel, and John is Odysseus's faithful servant Eumaeus.

Zendaya called the whole experience overwhelming, saying, “The way [Nolan] approached the character with such humanity… The manifestation of who she is, is to represent the loss of humanity that I think Odysseus is kind of facing and coming to terms with.”

She added, “Just the fact that I got to be a part of this at all… It’s, like, such a such an honor and a gift. And every day I was just really trying to soak it in because you're in some of the most gorgeous sets and landscapes I've ever seen. And really wanting to watch other people work. I love to be on set. It's one of my favorite places. And I feel like there's always so much to learn. The whole thing was a bit of a like pinch-me moment."

Zendaya recalled stepping onto set for the first time, sharing, “The set was incredible… It was very immersive... It's beyond what your imagination could have created.”

John added of the set, “To show up on that set... it's so stunning to be on top of a 900-foot cliff in Sicily with a real castle from the era, and they had oxen, boars, horses, donkey. It was incredible, on top of a hill that we had to climb. The first day I climbed was 40 minutes to get up there, but I never did it again ’cause I was too tired. But… he creates a set that is so safe, so you feel so protected to do your work as an artist and he gives you that space in that room."

Leguizamo also talked about playing Eumaeus, saying, “[Christopher] told me, ‘You're gonna be playing the most loyal character in Western literature.’” John told him, “Okay, it's a big task. I'll try to live up to it.”

He also dished on his hair and makeup transformation, saying, “I am pretty old and hideous and, you know, that's not all me. I mean, they've added a turkey neck and they put big bags and age spots and my hair was bleached to, like — almost disappeared. It was a lot. And then the contacts… They fill up your whole eyeball and they're painted so I can't see through them. So, the first day on the set we did this great scene. Yeah. We wrap, everybody leaves and I'm like, ‘Hello, I think you forgot somebody’… I couldn't get to lunch and Matt came back and walked me to the cafeteria ’cause I couldn't eat."

Zendaya raved over sharing this experience with Tom Holland. 

She called it “such a gift,” saying, “I remember when he got the call, I was, like, absolutely over the moon, so excited, so proud. And then never did it… cross my mind that a second call would be coming to our home, you know? So, that was so special. And yeah, just to be able to share something like that and watch him work in this context… It’s the dream... It's absolutely the dream. So, I was happy.”

John recalled how Zendaya came to set to watch Tom in a big battle scene. He said of Tom, “He was, like, so doe-eyed and in love. It was so beautiful to see that.”

He joked, “Because I remember I used to have those feelings, too.”