Christopher Nolan defended one of the boldest creative choices in his upcoming epic The Odyssey: casting rapper Travis Scott in a supporting role.
Speaking to Time, the Oppenheimer director explained that Scott’s presence is meant to echo the oral tradition of Homer’s poem.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Nolan said.
Scott appears briefly in promotional footage, sharing a banquet scene with Tom Holland’s Telemachus, Robert Pattinson’s Antinous, and Jon Bernthal’s Menelaus.
Though his exact role remains under wraps, fans speculate he may be portraying Demodocus, the blind bard who sings tales of Odysseus.
The collaboration marks a reunion.
Scott previously contributed the track The Plan to Nolan’s 2020 thriller Tenet, co-written with composer Ludwig Göransson.
Nolan also addressed online chatter about the film’s costumes, which some critics claim stray from historical accuracy.
He countered that Homer’s myth was always interpreted through the lens of later eras.
“The oldest depictions of Homeric characters tend to be depicted in the manner of people living in Homer’s time,” he explained.
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, he added, used materials like blackened bronze and gilded accents to signal Agamemnon’s elevated status.
Ultimately, Nolan urged audiences to embrace his vision even if they disagree with the details.
“Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything,” he said. “We had a lot of scientists complain about Interstellar. But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”
With Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Charlize Theron as Calypso, The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of the summer’s most ambitious releases.
Nolan is clearly prepared to defend every decision behind it.
