Tom Holland says he briefly worried Christopher Nolan was unhappy with his acting while filming The Odyssey — but the real issue had nothing to do with his performance.
The actor recently opened up about the experience during a Fandango interview for Nolan’s upcoming myth-inspired epic, which is set to arrive in theaters on July 17, 2026.
Holland appears in the movie alongside major names including Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, and the film is being marketed as an event release in IMAX, with a runtime of 2 hours and 52 minutes.
Even with his blockbuster experience from Spider-Man, Holland said his first day on Nolan’s set was one of the most daunting moments of his career.
The nerves kicked in while he was filming an intense scene opposite Jon Bernthal, as Nolan repeatedly called cut before Holland understood what was happening.
“I think my first day for me was probably one of the most daunting experiences of my career,” he admitted during the sit-down interview.
Holland said he and Bernthal were both still finding their rhythm when Nolan kept interrupting the take, which quickly made him fear the worst.
Because Nolan kept suddenly calling cut, Holland started to wonder whether he was falling short in such high-profile company.
As it turned out, the reason had nothing to do with his acting.
Speaking about Nolan’s well-known use of IMAX cameras, Holland said:
“I didn’t know that it only ran for 3 minutes,”
“So I remember you would continue cutting. And I was with John like why does he keep cutting?”
Not knowing that the IMAX setup could only shoot for a limited time, Holland assumed the problem had to be the scene itself.
He added:
“And I like in my head I’m like does he not like what we’re doing? Like what is happening?”
Fortunately, someone on set soon cleared things up and explained what was really happening.
“And then I remember it was actually George Cottle that was like no no no. There’s only 3 minutes in the match,” Holland laughed.
The cameras were simply running out of film, which meant the crew had to stop and reload them every few minutes.
Relieved, Holland remembered thinking:
“Oh, thank God she’s cutting in the middle of line.”
Fandango’s Jacqueline Coley also noted that Holland wasn’t alone in having that reaction, pointing out that Lupita Nyong’o experienced similar confusion while shooting her own scenes for the film.
The misunderstanding makes sense given just how technically ambitious The Odyssey is: IMAX has said the movie was shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, a rare feat that has helped make it one of the most anticipated releases of the summer.
Even so, what began as a nerve-racking day ended with a major boost in confidence.
At the end of filming, Nolan gave Holland a hug and a reassuring pat on the back after they wrapped.
He recalled:
“And when I left that day, it wasn’t until I left the set that I was like, ‘Oh, I can I can totally do this.”
“Like, I can swim in these waters’,” Holland beamed.
The actor has since said the experience gave him a new appreciation for Nolan’s process, especially the director’s preference for practical filmmaking and large-format IMAX photography.