Tom Holland Spent His First Day Filming ‘The Odyssey’ Convinced Christopher Nolan Hated Him — The Real Reason Is Hilarious

Tom Holland walked onto the set of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey as one of the most recognizable young actors in Hollywood — and within hours of his very first scene, he was quietly convinced he was being silently fired in real time.

Speaking to Fandango, as reported by Variety, Holland recalled the anxiety that crept in during his first day of filming alongside co-star Jon Bernthal. Nolan kept calling cut — repeatedly, and without obvious explanation. Holland, unfamiliar with the technical realities of shooting on IMAX cameras, had no idea why it kept happening and began drawing the most logical conclusion available to him: that Nolan simply wasn’t happy with what he was seeing.

The confusion escalated quickly. Holland described turning to Bernthal between takes, both of them quietly trying to figure out what was going wrong. In his own head, the spiral had already begun — he was convinced he was completely failing the scene and that the director’s repeated interruptions were a sign of serious dissatisfaction with his performance.

The actual explanation had nothing to do with his acting. Stunt coordinator George Cottle was the one who finally pulled him aside and clarified what was really happening — IMAX film magazines only hold approximately three minutes of footage before they need to be reloaded. Every cut was purely mechanical. Nolan wasn’t reacting to anything Holland was doing on screen at all.

The relief, Holland said, was immediate and overwhelming.

Despite that shaky introduction to the production’s technical demands, Holland has since described working on The Odyssey as the single best experience of his entire career. In a separate conversation with GQ, he spoke at length about what it meant to collaborate closely with Nolan and producer Emma Thomas, calling it an unparalleled front-row education in filmmaking at the highest possible level.

Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Matt Damon’s Odysseus, in the film — an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic that follows Odysseus across a 10-year journey home following the Trojan War. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, and John Leguizamo.

The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17.