Anne Hathaway hails working with Christopher Nolan on The Odyssey as a ‘homecoming’

The actress has reflected on reuniting with Christopher Nolan for The Odyssey, praising the director’s consistency while revealing how playing Penelope became a deeply personal experience.

Anne Hathaway felt returning to work with Christopher Nolan after 12 years was a “homecoming”.

The actress, 43, has reunited with Christopher for his upcoming blockbuster The Odyssey, the filmmaker’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, after she previously starred in The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 and Interstellar in 2014.

In the new film, Anne plays Penelope opposite Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland portraying their son, and she has now said Oscar-winning director Christopher’s approach to filmmaking has remained unchanged since they first collaborated more than a decade ago,

The project marks Christopher’s first feature since the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, while Anne continues to enjoy renewed attention following the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, returning to the role that helped define her career alongside acclaimed performances in The Devil Wears Prada, Les Misérables, The Princess Diaries, Rachel Getting Married and Interstellar.

Reflecting on working with Christopher again, Anne said one aspect of the experience had remained exactly the same, adding: “One of my things that I was so happy to discover is that Chris is a remarkably consistent human being.”

Turning to Christopher during a recent discussion on The Odyssey with People magazine, Anne continued: “You’ve made so many incredible movies all in different genres, but your approach to it, your respect to the crew, how arduously you prepare and think about everything, that’s all there.”

Anne explained the biggest change over the past 12 years had been herself rather than the director.

She said: “I think I was different.”

Anne added: “I think that I got to make two movies with you when I was kind of still in the early stage of my career. We made them pretty quickly and then for 12 years, you were in Dunkirk… and places like that.”

Christopher has directed Dunkirk, Tenet and Oppenheimer, with the latter winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Looking back on her return to one of Christopher’s productions, Anne said: “So funny enough, my longing to be back on one of Chris’ sets really fuelled my passion as Penelope because I’ve been on amazing sets.”

She added: “I’ve had wonderful experiences. Chris is one of one.”

Turning once more to Christopher, Anne continued: “There’s just nothing else like this. It does feel a bit like a homecoming because you’re just at the apex of what it is that you do. I’ve never encountered anything higher than this.”

Christopher said bringing Anne back for a third collaboration was an easy decision.

He said: “This is the third time we’ve worked together.”

Christopher added to her and other actors on The Odyssey discussion panel: “I’m just thrilled that these guys all agreed to come on board… we had an incredible experience, put them all through it, but they rose to it magnificently.”

Earlier in the conversation, Anne recalled Christopher first revealing his next mystery project was an adaptation of The Odyssey.

She said: “When Chris told me that we were doing The Odyssey, I actually had to stand up, walk around for a second and said, ‘I’m going to need a second’.

“I didn’t know that that was what the project was going to be.”

Anne added her long-standing love of Greek mythology helped shape her approach to playing Penelope.

She explained she and Christopher discussed how Odysseus and Penelope shared a genuine love match rather than a political marriage.

Anne said: “They actually had a love match, which is just about the rarest thing in this world and that world.”

“Their dream was to be together as a family.”

Describing the emotional foundation of the role, Anne also said: “She just missed her person, how much she wanted to be herself fully in front of someone again.

“That was kind of the alchemy behind all of it.”

Anne also praised the production team, including costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, saying: “This crew was so big and everybody was so excellent.”

She added: “It was such a joy to be a part of a chain that was that strong and that’s what you wanted to do every day. You wanted to just go be a part of it, be the link that held and enjoy that feeling.”

With a laugh, she concluded: “And then rest on the weekend.”