Tom Holland has a packed schedule this month with The Odyssey arriving in cinemas on July 17 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day also on the horizon. On top of that, he’s now addressed the reaction to Telemachus’ wording in the film.
The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s big-screen take on Homer’s epic poem, with Universal describing it as an IMAX-shot event film. The story follows Odysseus’ long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, with the cast bringing together some of Hollywood’s biggest names for Nolan’s latest ensemble project.
Matt Damon leads the film as Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway playing Penelope. Holland appears as their son, Telemachus, while Robert Pattinson takes on the role of Antinous, a rival determined to seize the throne during Odysseus’ absence. The cast also includes performers such as Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and Benny Safdie.
When the trailer was released earlier this year, some viewers focused on Holland’s choice of words, noticing he says ‘dad’ or ‘daddy’ rather than the more traditional-sounding ‘father’.
That quickly sparked debate online, especially on Reddit, where fans offered different explanations for the line.
“He says father in the teaser they showed in theaters awhile back, I doubt the line is as big of a deal as people are making it out to be,” said one fan on a Reddit thread.
Another viewer believed the difference may have been deliberate.
“I have a sneaking suspicion they filmed both and there was debate in the edit bay over which to use, so they put them both in different trailers to see the response.”
Holland has now responded to the discussion himself, alongside director Christopher Nolan, while promoting the film.
During an appearance on Channel 4’s The Four Cast, Holland was asked why his character uses ‘dad’ instead of the more old-fashioned ‘father’.
“Because I wouldn’t have even said father back in the day would I?” he said, as he turned to director Christopher Nolan, who agreed.
“It’d have been in Greek, so it’s no less correct…”
Nolan then expanded on that point, saying modern audiences often imagine the ancient world in unusual ways.
“When you go to the poem, what you find is something that’s really earthy and grounded and accessible. And so for me, in building a world on film, I just want to centre in on that. And make it very fresh for modern audiences.”
That explanation appears to settle the debate around Telemachus’ dialogue choice, especially with Nolan already making clear that the film is aiming for a contemporary, direct feel rather than a stiff, museum-piece version of the story.