Christopher Nolan hails Elliot Page’s terrific turn in The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan hails Elliot Page in The Odyssey and credits Guillermo del Toro with shaping his vision for the film’s mythic monsters.

Christopher Nolan is bringing Elliot Page back into the fold for his myth-sized swing at The Odyssey , and he is not being coy about it: he thinks Page is terrific. Given Nolan's habit of building a tight creative circle and sticking with people who get his whole precision-and-scale thing, this reunion makes a lot of sense.

Why Nolan went back to Page

Nolan has always kept a deep bench. Michael Caine became a fixture. Cillian Murphy graduated from supporting roles to leading man. Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway slid into that recurring-ensemble groove too. Page already proved a perfect fit for Nolan's brain-bending logic back on Inception , and now they are locking in again for a story that demands trust between director and cast.

"It was really fun. Elliot's just terrific, and I just thought this was such a great part for him. We had such a great time years ago on Inception. It's nice to reunite with people."

- Christopher Nolan on The Morning Show

Translation: he knows exactly what he is getting with Page, and he wrote to that strength.

So who is Page playing?

According to multiple reports, Page is playing Sinon, the Greek soldier who helps pull off the Trojan Horse scheme. If you remember your epic poetry, that is one of the story's most famous pivots. There was early chatter that Page might be Achilles, but the Sinon role puts him in a more cunning, pressure-point spot in the plot. Frankly, that seems like smarter casting.

Nolan's monster playbook got an upgrade

For a movie this big and mythic (it is slated for 2026 ), Nolan is not treating the creatures like throwaway CGI bosses. He credits Guillermo del Toro for reframing how he thought about them, and that mindset became a north star for the production.

"I was very inspired by Guillermo del Toro. What I learned from him is that a monster is not a monster. You have to approach them the way you approach any other character."

- Nolan to the Los Angeles Times

That philosophy shapes how the film handles heavyweights like Scylla and Polyphemus. The big idea: performance first, then build the spectacle around it so these things feel like they exist in the same physical world as the actors.

• Creatures are built with a mix of practical effects, live performance, and targeted visual work to keep them grounded, not floaty or purely digital.
• Polyphemus is a full stack of puppetry, animatronics, robotics, and a physical performance from Bill Irwin, with Nolan prioritizing body language and movement.
• The design room kept Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son' up as a constant tonal reference: raw, unsettling, mythic. Nolan says Page is hitting that mood, which tracks with the role he is playing.

Big canvas, trusted hands

The Odyssey is Nolan operating at maximum scale with a large ensemble carrying a legendary story. Bringing Page back is not just nostalgia; it is a strategic move. Give a sharp, pivotal character to an actor who can thread the needle between brains and intensity, and then anchor the spectacle with tactile, character-driven creatures. If that is the balance, the big myth might actually feel personal.