Zendaya reveals how she learned about her role in The Odyssey

As The Odyssey continues to receive glowing reviews, the marketing campaign for the upcoming Christopher Nolan epic continues to be in full swing. The Greek epic premiered in London this Monday, and almost every cast member of the movie was available to promote it. Two of the stars on the red carpet were Tom Holland and Zendaya, the Hollywood couple.

One of the surprising revelations was not on the red carpet but in a podcast interview. Zendaya appeared on Josh Horowitz's Happy, Sad, Confused podcast to promote not only the Christopher Nolan epic but also Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is releasing just two weeks after The Odyssey. There, the actress revealed that she was initially unaware that she was a part of the Nolan epic's cast.

Zendaya revealed that she learned about being a part of The Odyssey's cast through Tom Holland

Tom Holland and Matt Damon were amongst the first to join the Nolan epic, and Zendaya was announced as a part of The Odyssey's cast only a month after Holland's inclusion. This week, the actress herself confirmed that she was initially unaware that Nolan was considering her to play Athena in the movie. Zendaya revealed that back in 2024, she was happy for Holland when he was announced as a part of the Nolan epic.

The actress then went on to continue that just a few days after joining the cast, Tom Holland went to Zendaya's house and asked her to read as Athena:

“And then he came home and said, ‘I need you to read something.’ And I was like, ‘Is it that thing we were just reading the other night?’ And he was like [nods head], ‘But now read it thinking of this character [Athena].’ And I was like, ‘Shut up! You’re joking!’ It was pretty cool."

Holland also corroborated Zendaya's story, but he also added that it was Christopher Nolan who approached him about the possibility of the actress playing Athena. The British actor also inadvertently revealed that he may have broken Nolan's secretive protocol by reading The Odyssey script at their home. However, it seems that Nolan might've let that slide for this one occasion.

This July is special for both Zendaya and Tom Holland

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" - Paris Fan Event - Photocall - Source: Getty

July 2026 is set to be special for both Holland and Zendaya, as the Christopher Nolan epic is not the only film featuring them. The fourth MCU Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is also releasing just two weeks after the Nolan movie. Since IMAX screens will be reserved for the Greek epic, Brand New Day is skipping the premium large format.

However, even if Spider-Man: Brand New Day is skipping an IMAX release, it is still tracking for a staggering USD 228 million opening. Therefore, it looks like the two actors are going to get a major career boost this month by being a part of not one, but two impressive blockbusters.