Getty Casting Call for The Odyssey

By now, you have probably heard a lot about The Odyssey—the latest box office spectacle by director Christopher Nolan. The film is based on the epic Greek poem attributed to Homer, composed around the eighth century BCE.

A story about homecoming, The Odyssey recounts the events following the ten-year Trojan War and the return of Odysseus, king of Ithaca. The epic is written across 24 books and is considered one of the earliest examples of literature. These stories were told and sung over the centuries, from renditions by ancient performers known as bards to contemporary performances and reproductions. Weaving together themes of nostos (homecoming) and xenia (hospitality), the poem initially follows the experiences of Odysseus’s family in Ithaca: Penelope, his loyal wife, who keeps rival suitors at bay, and Telemachus, his son, who embarks on his own journey toward adulthood.

In books 9–12, the narrative shifts to Odysseus himself, who recounts the ten-year journey back to his homeland. By overcoming a series of trials and tribulations, he exemplifies fundamental aspects of what it means to be human. The stories of his encounters with gods, goddesses, and monsters have endured through the ages, inspiring artists from antiquity to today, such as Nolan’s cinematic interpretation.

The movie opens in theaters on July 17, so we’re taking a look at a selection of art from Getty’s collection that depicts some of the characters from The Odyssey—an art historical casting call, if you will. Shown side by side with Nolan’s star-studded cast, this corresponding group of artworks travels across time, mediums, and cultures.

Odysseus

It is not until book 5 that the reader first encounters the hero of Homer’s epic: sitting on a rock looking out to sea, with tears in his eyes, is a weary Odysseus. Held captive on goddess Calypso’s luscious island, Odysseus pines to return home to Ithaca as the lone survivor of his expedition and a victor of the Trojan War. The notion of the hero was a popular trope in antiquity, first defined by Homer in The Iliad through Achilles, who proclaimed that the ultimate heroic act was the honor of dying in battle for one’s cause. By contrast, the later Odyssey extols survival as the heroic act available to mortal man.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus in Nolan’s adaptation and is shown as a weathered, middle-aged man with unwavering determination. A number of objects in Getty’s collection depict Odysseus overcoming the various challenges on his journey home. For example, in the relief of a Roman drinking cup (above right), we see Odysseus brandishing his sword. Cast in silver, these types of vessels often featured recognizable narrative scenes and were used during refined dinners, where they inspired discussion among guests. This cup shows the moment when Odysseus travels to the Underworld to learn how to return home to Ithaca. By sacrificing a ram and ewe, he summons spirits of the dead and consults with the ghost of the blind seer Teiresias, the figure seated under the rocky outcropping, looking up to the left. During this visit to the Underworld, Homer stages a revelatory encounter between Odysseus and the ghost of Achilles, poignantly conveying the latter’s sorrow at having been slain, and marking a revision in what it means to be a hero.

Throughout the poem, Odysseus is hailed as the hero who thinks his way out of situations by being resourceful and crafty, qualities reflected in the epithet polymetis, translated by Emily Wilson as “an abundance of cunning.” Protected by the goddess Athena, who shares these inherent traits, Odysseus is granted a series of disguises to deceive and test those he encounters. Most notably, he appears as an old beggar when reuniting with his family for the first time in 20 years.

Athena

“I am Athena, child of Zeus. I always stand near you and take care of you, in all your hardships,” Athena declares to Odysseus when they meet in person in book 13. The goddess of intelligent warfare, Athena guides and protects Odysseus throughout his perilous journey back to Ithaca. She is portrayed by Zendaya in the film. In prerelease clips she’s shown to be wearing a classically inspired white garment, which is quite understated compared to the decorated aegis (breastplate) seen in Getty’s bronze Minerva statuette (Minerva is the Greek precursor to the Roman Athena). Poised as if advancing into war—right arm raised and left arm steady, where a bronze-tipped spear and shield would have been—Minerva wears divine battle armor. Her breastplate, which covers her front and back, bears the protective head of the Gorgon Medusa, and her helmet is topped with a griffin, a vigilant magical creature with protective qualities.

Athena’s most common epithet is glaukopis, suggesting bright or shimmering eyes, the effect of which can be seen with traces of silver embellishments on the statuette. This “sparkle in the eye,” as it were, has also been described as Athena’s divine wisdom shining through. Knowing when to fight and when to bring about peace, Athena intervenes at the end of The Odyssey to pacify the suitors’ families who seek to avenge their son’s deaths and overthrow Odysseus.

Athena’s orchestration of the storyline demonstrates her attributes as the goddess of plots, craft, and logic. She assumes various disguises to guide both Odysseus and Telemachus throughout the epic, from familial characters—including Mentes, Mentor, and even Telemachus himself—to birds of the sky, as a swallow and sea eagle. This ability to deceive and her affinity for the cunning Odysseus makes Athena instrumental.

Telemachus

Telemachus, described in Wilson’s translation as a “little newborn baby” when Odysseus left for the Trojan War, begins book 1 of The Odyssey at about 20 years old, coming of age in his father’s absence. While physically an adult, fully grown and handsome, Telemachus’s maturity is somewhat delayed, with scholars such as Edith Hall even describing his behavior as more akin to that of an adolescent. Embarking on his own journey in search of news of his father, Telemachus gradually learns what adult masculinity might entail for him. Yet, under Athena’s guidance, he is deliberately restrained from assuming its fullest expression, for any premature claim to patriarchal authority would jeopardize his father’s homecoming. There can only be one man in the house.

Tom Holland plays a youthful Telemachus in Nolan’s adaptation. Though brunette, he shares the luscious locks of Jacques-Louis David’s portrayal of the character in The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis, painted in 1818. Toward the second half of the 18th century in France, there was a revival of interest in mythology. Stories such as the love affair between Telemachus and Eucharis, described in the 1699 bestselling French novel Les Aventures de Télémaque by François Fénelon, were popular. David’s tender portrait shows the parting of the two lovers as Telemachus is called away from the nymph Eucharis, who lives on Calypso’s island, to continue his journey in search of news about his father. David captures the sensitivity of Telemachus in this sentimental embrace. His blushed face and partially exposed, hairless body emphasize his youthfulness and dawning virility.

Penelope

The Greek archetype of the steadfast wife, Penelope is defined not just by her unwavering fidelity but also by a sharp, strategic intellect equal to that of her husband. While her cousin, Helen of Troy, represents the whimsical catalyst for the Trojan War, Penelope embodies domestic preservation, holding the kingdom of Ithaca together for 20 years against the encroachment of over 100 predatory suitors. Guided by the wisdom of Athena, she masterfully wields the loom as a tool of resistance, weaving a shroud for the eventual funeral of her father-in-law, Laertes, by day, only to unpick her progress by night, a stalling tactic that keeps the conspirators at bay for three years.

Anne Hathaway plays the stoic Penelope in Nolan’s movie, and as seen in the trailer, we glimpse an intimate scene of her saying goodbye to her husband, shrouded by candlelight. Joseph Wright of Derby, the 18th-century British painter and master of dramatic lighting, captures Penelope’s nightly ritual of quiet defiance in Penelope Unraveling Her Web. The queen is shown in a tender moment of vigil, watching Telemachus asleep in the figurative shadow of his father, represented by the statue in the foreground. Here stands Odysseus, watching over his family, a unit that is separated by the violence of the outside world. In the final passages of the poem, Penelope becomes an active architect of her own fate.

Polyphemus

The Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, is described by Odysseus in Robert Fagles’s translation as a “grim loner, dead set in his own lawless ways,” tending livestock on an island, believed since antiquity to be Sicily. Having landed his ships near the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus selects a crew of his strongest men to explore the nearest Cyclops cave, close to shore. In search of hospitality and gifts, they disregard the etiquette of xenia, the practice of hosting strangers, by barging into the lair and helping themselves to food. Their host, the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, in turn dismisses xenia entirely as he proceeds to consume two of Odysseus’s men in quick succession––tearing them limb from limb.

Bill Irwin is cast as Polyphemus in Nolan’s movie, shown in the trailer as a terrifying, towering oaf clasping a sailor in his right hand. An early Roman lamp in the Getty collection features a similar rendering of Polyphemus––a more human-like representation, he sits on a rock, gripping the limp body of a dead sailor in his left hand. The lamp captures the moment Odysseus lures the monster into a state of intoxication. Odysseus offers Polyphemus a cup of sweet undiluted wine, a rare vintage he describes earlier as "a drink fit for the gods!" After three cups, the giant falls into a drunken stupor. At his collapse, Odysseus and four of his men blind the giant, and he coordinates their escape from the lair by tying his men to the undersides of his unwelcoming host's sheep.

And that’s a wrap for now

Be sure to visit the Getty Villa this summer to spot more characters from The Odyssey in the Museum’s collection. See for yourself how Nolan’s latest cinematic interpretation compares to ancient depictions in clay, stone, gems, and precious metals. To help you find them around the Museum, pick up your very own “Self-Guided Tour of The Odyssey” handout at the Information Desk. Taking you through seven galleries, the accompanying text produced by our antiquities curators illuminates the stories portrayed and characters represented in a range of objects––from ceremonial vases to signet rings worn by members of high society.

If you are unable to make it to the Villa, head to our YouTube channel to catch up on The Odyssey Remix—an all-day extravaganza held at the Villa on May 30 that highlighted the timelessness of this epic. With a program that included interpretations in verse, animation, and artwork, alongside lectures and panel discussions, the event showcased a multitude of interpretations of The Odyssey across time and cultures. You can watch the recording of The Odyssey Remix event.