A two-time Oscar nominee received a ‘round of applause’ from the crew.

Christopher Nolan compares this Odyssey actor’s impact to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

A two-time Oscar nominee received a ‘round of applause’ from the crew.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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July 7, 2026 3:23 p.m. ET

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Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight’; Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey’. Credit:

Warner Bros; Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

- Christopher Nolan says that *The Odyssey* was going to live or die based on Samatha Morton’s performance as Circe.

- The filmmaker revealed that the Oscar-nominated actress earned a round of applause from the crew.

- Nolan’s last memory of that happening on one of his films was Heath Ledger in *The Dark Knight*.

The *Odyssey* cast is stacked with heavy hitters, but only one actor evoked the type of reaction that Christopher Nolan hadn’t seen since Heath Ledger and *The Dark Knight*.

According to early reactions, Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic is stolen by two-time Academy Award nominee Samantha Morton, who has just a few scenes as the goddess Circe.

“This was a massive film and she is someone who comes in and changes the dynamic,” Nolan told the *Los Angeles Times*. “In some weird way, the film lived or died over that character. She was the fulcrum. I’ve always admired Samantha’s work, she brings so much depth of thinking about her role, there are no limitations on her performance.”

Samantha Morton at the London photocall for ‘The Odyssey’.

Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage

The writer-director further revealed that, after one of Morton’s takes, “the crew gave her a round of applause.”

“I was talking with Emma [Thomas],” Nolan said of his wife and producing partner, “and she remembered that the last time that had happened was with Heath Ledger on *The Dark Knight*.”

In the 2008 Batman sequel, Ledger stunned as the unpredictable Joker, a performance for which the late Australian actor won a posthumous Oscar.

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In the United States, Morton doesn’t have the same name recognition as her movie star colleagues, but she’s long been recognized as a great performer. Early in her career, Morton was nominated for two Oscars: Best Supporting Actress for 1999’s *Sweet and Lowdown* and Best Actress in 2003’s *In America*.

Morton’s other memorable credits include *Jane Eyre;* *Minority Report;* *Synecdoche, New York;* *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them;* and *The Walking Dead*.

'The Odyssey' cast: Meet the star-studded ensemble of Christopher Nolan's journey to ancient Greece

Everything we know about Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey': Release date, trailer, and more

*The Odyssey* stars Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, and Zendaya, who Damon previously revealed garnered quite the praise from Nolan as well.

Damon is the face of *The Odyssey* as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, whom the film follows on his 10-year trek home following the Trojan War. In Homer’s text, Odysseus visits Circe’s island of Aeaea and ends up having two sons with her.

“These are mythological figures, iconic in some ways,” Nolan said of his casting process. “I wanted to cast it big, get the finest bunch of actors.”

*The Odyssey* opens in theaters on July 17.

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies

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Source: “EW Sci-Fi”