Christopher Nolan is defending his upcoming epic “The Odyssey” from history purists who have criticized Agamemnon’s armor and the film’s casting of Travis Scott.
In a lengthy interview with Time, published Tuesday, the director defended Agamemnon’s armor after trailers showed the character — played by Benny Safdie — wearing black armor that many said was not accurate to the period. Some even compared it to Batman’s suit, but Nolan offered an explanation for the character’s look, which sets him apart from the other soldiers.
“There are Mycenaean daggers that are blackened bronze,” Nolan said. “The theory is they probably could have blackened bronze in those days. You take bronze, you add more gold and silver to it and then use sulfur … With Agamemnon, Ellen [Mirojnick], our costume designer, is trying to communicate how elevated he is relative to everyone else. You do that through materials that would be very expensive.”
Armor accuracy wasn’t the only criticism that rose online following the release of “The Odyssey” trailer. Eagle-eyed viewers caught that Travis Scott had been cast as a bard in the film, which rattled some. Nolan also addressed those who were shocked to see the artist was a part of the film.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” the director said.
Nolan tried to ease the minds of those who seemed to pick apart every new visual for the film as historically inaccurate by pointing out his dedication to capturing things accurately dates back to his obsessing over nailing the physics in 2014’s “Interstellar.” He approached “The Odyssey” with that same eye.
“For ‘Interstellar,’ you’re looking at, ‘What is the best speculation of the future?’ When you’re looking at the ancient past, it’s actually the same thing,” Nolan said. “‘What is the best speculation and how can I use that to create a world?’ Hopefully they’ll enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about ‘Interstellar.’ But you just don’t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.”
“The Odyssey” opens in theaters on July 17.
