“I admire his ability to take big swings and make them feel like the perfect decision for that character,” Holland said of his castmate.

Tom Holland names the Odyssey costar who was his ‘safety blanket’ on set — and it’s not Zendaya

"I admire his ability to take big swings and make them feel like the perfect decision for that character," Holland said of his castmate.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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June 26, 2026 3:57 p.m. ET

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Tom Holland in 'The Odyssey'. Credit:

Universal Pictures

- Tom Holland recently referred to his *Odyssey* costar Robert Pattinson as "a real safety blanket" for him on set.

- He added, "I admire his ability to take big swings and make them feel like the perfect decision for that character."

- Holland and Pattinson previously collaborated on *The Lost City of Z* and *The Devil All the Time*.

On a film production as massive as *The Odyssey*, it's reassuring to have a friend around. Just ask Tom Holland, who was relieved to share the screen with a global superstar after multiple prior collaborations.

Surprisingly enough, that superstar wasn't his longtime partner Zendaya, who plays Athena in the epic drama. Rather, it's an actor whose history with Holland goes back even further: Robert Pattinson.

"Having a familiar face and someone that I could share the screen with was a real safety blanket for me," Holland recently told *Empire*. "I'm always eager to share scenes with Rob, because he just brings the best out of everyone."

Holland added, "I admire his ability to take big swings and make them feel like the perfect decision for that character."

Robert Pattinson in 'The Odyssey'.

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

In the Christopher Nolan-directed movie, Holland portrays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus (Matt Damon) who is desperately trying to reunite with his long-lost father. Pattinson plays Antinous, a conniving suitor pursuing Telemachus' mother, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), in Odysseus' absence.

Pattinson delighted in making his version of Antonious as unpleasant as possible. "I mean, he's just the worst stepfather you could possibly have," the actor told *Empire*. "This was just a fun part to play: 'I just want to be your daddy. I want to be your daddy. That's all I want!'"

Holland and Pattinson first collaborated on the 2016 adventure drama *The Lost City of Z*. They later reunited on the psychological thriller *The Devil All the Time*.

"I always end up doing these slithery things with Tom and I don't know why," Pattinson said.

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Though *The Odyssey* boasts numerous Oscar-winning performers in its stacked ensemble — including Hathaway, Lupita N'yongo, and Charlize Theron — Damon previously said that Nolan reserved his highest praise for Zendaya.

"Chris is known for being very circumspect. So when you do a take, it's not like he says, 'That was great.' He'll go, 'Yep, good. Okay.' And that is the equivalent of the greatest praise you could ever get," the *Bourne Identity* star told *Elle*. "Zendaya, on the other hand — there were takes where she did one thing, she did this amazing scene, and he said, 'Cut.' And then he went, 'Perfect.'"

Tom Holland and Zendaya.

Pablo Cuadra/WireImage

Damon said he and Holland grew hyperfixated on Nolan's different levels of feedback. "Literally, Tom and I were obsessed with this," he said. "She got a 'perfect'? I've never even gotten a 'great.' She got a 'perfect'? He and I bitched about it for the entire rest of the film. 'Did you get anything today?' 'No, I got a 'good' — moving on.' 'Yeah, me too.'"

*The Odyssey* marks Holland's fourth onscreen collaboration with Zendaya, who has played his love interest in three consecutive *Spider-Man* movies. They'll share the screen a fifth time in *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*, which hits theaters two weeks after *The Odyssey* releases in July.

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Holland told *GQ* that his time working with Nolan affected his ethos when he showed up on set for *Brand New Day*.

"I was really able to lay down the law and say, 'We are not going to come to set and figure it out,'" he said. "'We need to know why we are making this movie beyond the fact that it's *Spider-Man 4* and they make loads of money and we're going to just have a big summer. And Destin [Daniel Cretton, the director] was super instrumental in that, but it was just really great to constantly be calling up the studio and [producers] Amy [Pascal] and Rachel [O'Connor], who I love, and be like, 'Well, Chris is doing it this way. This is how I think we should be doing it.'"

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