‘The Odyssey’ Can Shut Down Christopher Nolan’s Bad Female Characters Reputation

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Christopher Nolan’s films have been hugely influential for the past thirty years, but his latest work offers a chance to address a common critique: his portrayal of women. While Murph in Interstellar is an exception, Nolan has often been criticized for creating female characters who lack the depth and complexity of his male characters.

Inspired by Emily Wilson’s groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s new film draws on Greek mythology and features a stellar cast of actresses – including Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, and Lupita Nyong’o – as powerful goddesses like Athena and Circe. However, Nolan has faced criticism for his portrayal of female characters in the past. With such rich source material and talented actors at his disposal, this film represents a crucial opportunity for him to address those concerns and finally change perceptions. If he fails to create compelling female characters this time, he may never overcome that criticism.

What is ‘The Odyssey’ About?


Unverisal Pictures

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, will draw heavily from Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation – the first by a woman – which Nolan considers his preferred version. Given his choice of translation, and the fact that he’s aware of past criticism about his portrayal of female characters, Nolan has a real chance to create more complex and well-developed women in this new film, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t.

The film The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and tells the story of his long journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces numerous mythical creatures as he tries to reunite with his wife, Penelope, played by Hathaway. Meanwhile, Penelope cleverly uses her wits to ward off the many men who seek to marry her and claim the throne.

Odysseus’s journey includes encounters with powerful women like the Sirens and the sorceress Circe, characters who are far more complex and developed than most female roles in Christopher Nolan’s films. Considering how strong the women are in Homer’s original work, and with Emily Wilson’s insightful translation, audiences can anticipate that the women of The Odyssey will be portrayed as truly triumphant figures.

Anne Hathaway as Penelope


Apple TV

Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for Les Misérables, is working with director Christopher Nolan for the third time (following The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar) in a new film based on The Odyssey. She will play Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and mother to their son, Telemachus, played by Tom Holland. The story centers on Penelope’s twenty-year wait for Odysseus to return home after the Trojan War.

For twenty years, Penelope raised her son Telemachus on her own, skillfully protecting him and educating him while fending off over a hundred men who wanted to marry her. Despite pressure – even from the goddess Athena, who suggested she consider other possibilities – Penelope’s unwavering efforts to remain faithful to Odysseus were widely recognized.

Penelope isn’t a passive character; she actively drives the story forward by proposing a challenge: any suitor who can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads will win her hand. Given her complex personality and the strong working relationship between the director and actress, Penelope is poised to be a more significant and developed female character than we’ve typically seen in this director’s films.

Zendaya as Athena


Universal Pictures

Zendaya, the Emmy-winning star of Euphoria, is set to portray Athena in a new adaptation of The Odyssey. Athena is a well-known goddess from Greek mythology – known for her wisdom, skill in warfare, and crafts – and a central figure in Homer’s epic poem. As the Trojan War begins, she acts as a divine helper, advisor, and guide to Odysseus, working to ensure his safe journey home to Ithaca.

In addition to protecting Telemachus, Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar to help him stay safe. She also asks her father, Zeus, to allow Odysseus to finally return home. Using her intelligence and skill in battle, Athena then establishes peace in Ithaca and prevents a violent feud.

Given Zendaya’s incredible talent and the iconic nature of the character, it’s disappointing that the portrayal of Athena in ‘The Odyssey’ isn’t working. If the director can’t help Zendaya create a complex and compelling version of this famous goddess, it will reinforce criticisms about his tendency to write weak female characters.

Charlize Theron as Circe


Universal Pictures

Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron (known for her role in Monster) plays Circe, a powerful and alluring witch, in The Odyssey. This is another character that director Nolan can’t afford to misrepresent. Circe initially captivates Odysseus with a grand feast, but then reveals her dark side, turning his entire crew into pigs. Her power to transform people isn’t limited to Odysseus’s men; she also famously turned the Italian King Picus into a woodpecker after he rejected her romantic advances.

After Odysseus persuades the sorceress Circe to turn his men and him back into humans, he spends a year living with her. While he’s there, they have two children, including Latinus and Telegonus. In addition to all this, Circe urges Odysseus to be the first living person to journey to the land of the dead, teaching him how to speak with spirits and providing instructions for his return home. Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Penelope continues to faithfully wait for him and raise their son, Telemachus, alone.

Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Circe could be the most important female character in a Christopher Nolan film yet. Circe is one of the most commanding figures Odysseus encounters, and given Theron’s impressive career, she wouldn’t likely accept the role unless it was a substantial one.

Mia Goth as Melantho


Focus Features

I’m so excited to hear that Mia Goth, who was amazing in Pearl, is going to play Melantho! She’s a character from The Odyssey – basically a maid who was raised like a daughter by Penelope and Odysseus. It’s a really tragic story, because even though they were so good to her, she ended up betraying them by being with the men trying to marry Penelope while Odysseus was away for all those years. I think Mia is a perfect fit for this complex role.

Melantho, a handmaid in the story, falls in love with one of the suitors, a nobleman named Eurymachus. The author has a chance to give this relatively small character more depth. Instead of simply being unpleasant and ungrateful, Melantho could be a more complex figure, and the movie could explore her motivations and feelings more fully than the original poem does.

When Odysseus comes home disguised as a beggar, Melantho is rude to him and tells him to leave Ithaca because he didn’t sleep in the servants’ quarters. Melantho, a sharp-tongued slave, is one of the characters in The Odyssey who could change how audiences see the women in Christopher Nolan’s films.

The film also stars Lupita Nyong’o, an Academy Award winner for 12 Years a Slave, and Samantha Morton, who has been nominated for an Oscar twice (Sweet and Lowdown, In America). Their roles haven’t been revealed yet. With this impressive cast and drawing inspiration from Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey, director Christopher Nolan has a real chance to address criticism of his past female characters when the movie comes out in July 2026. If he can’t create compelling portrayals of characters like Athena, Circe, Melantho, and Penelope with this talented group of actors, it’s possible he may not be able to do so at all.

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2025-12-16 01:20