Tom Holland has revealed he felt "intimidated" when he first met renowned director Sir Christopher Nolan.
The 30-year-old actor is set to portray Telemachus in Nolan’s much-anticipated adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey.
The film will follow Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, the Greek king of Ithaca, as he makes his arduous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War.
Holland is also preparing to reprise his iconic role as Spider-Man in Brand New Day, which is due for release later this month.
Questioned on how he reacted to being asked if he would like to be in the film, on the Dish From Waitrose podcast, Holland said: “I mean, obviously the first word out of your mouth is ‘yes’.
“I was really intimidated to meet him, but he’s a very disarming person, he’s really kind, he’s really personable, and he was really open about the ambition of what he wanted to try and do.
“And I love film, I love making movies, I love watching movies, and I was just excited as a fan of cinema to hear what he was planning on doing, and then to get the chance to be in it was just… I’m still to this day kind of pinching myself.
“Knowing that I’m going to his premiere tonight is exciting enough, and now knowing that like I’m in it, I mean, it’s crazy to me still.”
He said that the 55-year-old director had no phone and as a result he was called in to meet him rather than by Sir Christopher himself.
Holland added: “You come and sit down with him, and for a long time we just chatted as just two people, about film, and then he kind of dropped the mic and said, ‘the movie I want to make is The Odyssey’.
“And then immediately in my head trying to remember what The Odyssey was about, trying to seem intelligent… but you know it was amazing, he pitched me the story, he told me the role.
“I took the script home that night and read it, and was absolutely floored by his ability to adapt something that’s so massive, I think he’s so celebrated as a director, he’s often overlooked as a writer.”
The actor called The Odyssey, which is the first film to have been shot entirely with Imax film cameras, “probably the biggest movie that has ever been made”.
The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, and is in cinemas now.
The full interview can be heard on the Dish From Waitrose podcast which is available on all major podcast providers.
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