Why Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland Did Not Make Eye Contact in ‘The Odyssey’
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ was already viewed as a monumental technical feat even before filming began. The director aimed to achieve something unprecedented: shooting an entire film with IMAX cameras. While Nolan had previously utilized IMAX technology for significant sequences in films like ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, employing the cameras for every scene introduced a completely new set of challenges.
One of the primary concerns was not the visual quality, but rather the sound. IMAX cameras are renowned for their stunning visuals, yet they are notoriously loud during operation. The noise generated by the large film reels inside the camera made it difficult to capture quiet dialogues and emotional performances.
As reported by The Credits, Nolan and his longtime cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema needed to devise a solution that would allow them to maintain the IMAX aesthetic while effectively recording crucial dialogue scenes. Their answer was a specially designed soundproof cover known as a “blimp.”
IMAX developed a custom housing that significantly reduced camera noise, enabling actors to perform naturally around it. This innovation allowed Nolan to position IMAX cameras closer to the actors during intimate scenes without compromising audio quality.
However, this new setup led to another unforeseen complication. The soundproof casing increased the size of the already bulky cameras, leaving no space to place equipment between actors during specific scenes. Consequently, performers sometimes found themselves unable to see each other directly while filming.
This became particularly challenging for the intimate scenes featuring Matt Damon’s Odysseus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope. For actors, maintaining eye contact is crucial for establishing a believable emotional connection, and the unusual camera placement risked making those moments feel forced.
Nolan’s team devised a surprisingly straightforward solution: mirrors.
The crew strategically placed mirrors around the camera, allowing actors to look at reflections that aligned with their scene partner’s eye line. This clever setup enabled them to perform as if they were gazing directly at each other, despite the massive IMAX camera obstructing their usual sightlines.
Damon explained that the technique worked so effectively that he hardly noticed it while acting.
“The effect, it worked seamlessly. And in fact, I was talking to Anne about this yesterday because I realized that, in my memory of doing that very intimate scene with her at the end of the movie, I don’t remember it being a mirror. I remember I was so dialed into Annie’s eyes that I just remember Annie being right there, and she was, she was right there, but I was doing it to the mirror.”
Damon further noted that the mirror technique was part of a broader solution that enabled Nolan to realize his vision.
“That was the hack that Chris came up with to say, ‘Okay, this will work if we can deaden the sound, which requires a giant box. If we can fix the eye lines, we can shoot large format, and we can shoot really quiet scenes.’”
The outcome allowed Nolan and his team to merge the grand scale of IMAX photography with quieter, character-driven moments that demanded emotional performances from the cast.
‘The Odyssey’ stars Damon as Odysseus alongside Hathaway as Penelope, featuring a large ensemble cast that includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, and Mia Goth.
The film’s production has already garnered acclaim for its ambitious approach, and Nolan’s mirror trick highlights the meticulous planning that went into crafting this epic adventure. Rather than altering his vision due to technical constraints, the director and his team discovered a creative workaround.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!