Tom Holland jokes he thought Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' call was meant for Timothee Chalamet

Jimmy Fallon asked Tom Holland what it was like receiving Christopher Nolan's first call and whether the project was kept secret
Tom Holland joked he thought Christopher Nolan meant to call Timothee Chalamet instead for a role in 'The Odyssey' (AP and Getty Images)
Tom Holland joked he thought Christopher Nolan meant to call Timothee Chalamet instead for a role in 'The Odyssey' (AP and Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Holland humorously revealed during an interview on ‘The Tonight Show’ that he initially thought Christopher Nolan was supposed to call Timothee Chalamet for a role in ‘The Odyssey.’

Holland stars as Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, in the epic drama. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, while Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope in the film, which releases on July 17.

Tom Holland recalls Christopher Nolan's casting call

While appearing on the late-night talk show, the 30-year-old actor was asked by Jimmy Fallon about his reaction to receiving a call from the legendary director.

Tom Holland reacts to the action court-side on day nine of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Tom Holland reacts to the action court-side on day nine of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2025 in London, England (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

The host asked the ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ star, “Tell me about that, getting that initial phone call to work with Christopher Nolan. You go, ‘Oh My Gosh, is it vague? Was it secretive or do you know what you’re doing exactly?’”

Tom Holland expected Christopher Nolan to call Timothee Chalamet

Holland replied, “Honestly, I thought he was supposed to call Timothee Chalamet,” prompting a huge laugh from Fallon as well as the audience.

The BAFTA Award winner then said that “it’s the honest truth” because Nolan had reportedly DM’d Chalamet.

Holland further revealed that he “got the call from my agents, and it really goes to show how much agents really know. They told me that it was a vampire movie or either ‘an ensemble space movie’ and it was neither of those.”

Robert Pattinson, from left, Lupita Nyong'o, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Odyssey' on Monday, July 6, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Robert Pattinson, from left, Lupita Nyong'o, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Odyssey' on Monday, July 6, 2026, in London (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

The ‘The Impossible’ star also shared with Fallon that he was in London when he got the call and flew back to Los Angeles to meet Nolan at his home. Their meeting lasted about an hour before the filmmaker revealed details of the project.

Tom Holland thanks Sony's Tom Rothman

The husband of Zendaya, however, revealed that he had not read ‘The Odyssey’ at the time and did not know much about it. Still, he said “yes” to Nolan on the spot and felt “honored” to be part of the filmmaker’s project.

During the interview, Holland also thanked Tom Rothman, chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, for moving the shooting schedule of ‘Spider-Man’ so that he “could be part of this film.”

Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan and Tom Holland attend Universal Pictures THE ODYSSEY Premiere on July 11, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Aalok Soni/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)
Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan and Tom Holland attend Universal Pictures 'The Odyssey' premiere on July 11, 2026 in Mumbai, India (Aalok Soni/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

Christopher Nolan responds to 'The Odyssey' criticism

The highly anticipated film also stars Zendaya, Elliot Page, and Travis Scott. Following the release of the film’s trailers, Nolan faced criticism for using modern English.

However, the 55-year-old defended the decision, saying he wanted to give value to “language that has emotional not intellectual meaning to people”.

Christopher Nolan attends the
Christopher Nolan attends the 'Oppenheimer' premiere at Cinema Le Grand Rex on July 11, 2023 in Paris, France (Getty Images)

“I was maybe being naïve, it might bite me on the a**, but I wanted an earthy narrative. To me it was a no-brainer,” Nolan added.

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