The Odyssey’s Oscar acting campaign excludes Zendaya and Charlize Theron

Universal’s awards plan for The Odyssey puts its chips on a focused acting slate: Matt Damon is the studio’s only submission in Best Actor, while Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton will compete in Supporting Actress. On the Supporting Actor side, Universal is backing Tom Holland , Robert Pattinson and John Leguizamo.

Matt Damon is Universal’s lone Best Actor submission for The Odyssey.

• Matt Damon — Best Actor
• Anne Hathaway — Best Supporting Actress
• Samantha Morton — Best Supporting Actress
• Tom Holland — Best Supporting Actor
• Robert Pattinson — Best Supporting Actor
• John Leguizamo — Best Supporting Actor

Behind the camera, Universal is submitting Christopher Nolan for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, with the film also going forward for Best Picture and a casting citation.

Big names left out

For a movie this stacked, some eye-catching omissions were inevitable. The studio’s acting slate does not include several marquee names who appear in the film:

• Zendaya
• Charlize Theron
• Lupita Nyong’o
• Elliot Page
• Jon Bernthal

Those stars aren’t out of awards talk altogether. Industry watchers, including Gold Derby, note they could still factor into group honors at guild and critics’ ceremonies, where strict eligibility caps and billing rules often shape who gets listed on ensemble ballots.

The Hathaway move

Universal is also making a strategic call with Hathaway, slotting her in Supporting Actress rather than mounting a Best Actress push. That avoids a bruising head-to-head with Julianne Moore for The Debut and, per Gold Derby’s forecasts, instantly puts Hathaway among the frontrunners for a second Oscar.

Pairing Hathaway and Morton in the same category also opens the door to a double Supporting Actress showing for the film — a scenario the Academy has embraced plenty of times over the years. And there’s a historical wrinkle on the table: according to tracking cited by Variety, if The Odyssey lands a Best Picture nomination and Hathaway ultimately wins, she would become the first woman to take home two Supporting Actress Oscars for performances in different films that both contended for the top prize.