Tom Holland defends saying ‘dad’ in The Odyssey
Tom Holland defends saying ‘dad’ in The Odyssey
Craig SimpsonSun, July 12, 2026 at 4:57 PM UTC
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Tom Holland and Sir Christopher Nolan have faced criticism over the modern language used in the film adaptation of The Odyssey
Tom Holland has defended using the word “dad” in Sir Christopher Nolan’s film version of The Odyssey.
The 30-year-old actor plays Odysseus’s son Telemachus in the Hollywood adaptation of Homer’s epic, which has drawn criticism for its diverse casting and modernised language, including the use of “dad” rather than “father”.
Defending the use of the word, Holland insisted the more casual “dad” was “no less accurate”, telling Channel 4 News: “I wouldn’t have even said ‘father’ back in the day, would I? It would’ve been Greek.”
Sir Christopher, 55, also defended the approach, claiming that some people viewed the ancient world “in weird ways”.
Tom Holland plays Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, in the new film - Universal Studios
He added: “There’s a lot of cultural prejudice. There’s a lot of sort of elevating it, because it’s old, you know, whatever it is. When you go to the poem, what you find is something that’s really earthy and grounded and accessible.”
In the face of a growing backlash, which has seen trailers receive hundreds of thousands of dislikes on YouTube, Sir Christopher said that he wished to make The Odyssey “feel very fresh for modern audiences”.
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The approach has faced criticism since the first casting announcements revealed that Lupita Nyong’o, an Oscar-winning black actress, would play Helen of Troy.
Some have also questioned whether Zendaya, 29, an American actress and singer, fits the traditional image of Athena as a warrior goddess as well as the absence of ethnic Greeks in the cast.
Zendaya plays Athena in the film alongside Matt Damon as Odysseus who heads home from the Trojan War to rescue his wife and son - Universal Pictures/Melinda Sue Gordon
Lina Mendoni, the Greek culture minister, has been forced to defend the granting of tax incentives to The Odyssey producers amid the backlash against Sir Christopher’s treatment of the ancient civilisation’s heritage.
Elon Musk also joined in the backlash, branding Sir Christopher an “anti-white racist” over the casting of Nyong’o in the role of Helen and accusing him of “desecrating” Homer’s work.
Diverse casting has been incentivised by new rules rolled out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body responsible for the Oscars. It has stipulated that all films hoping to be considered for an award must focus on an under-represented group, or ensure a lead or prominent supporting actor is from an ethnic minority.
It has become an increasingly common trend outside Hollywood, with numerous BBC productions choosing black actors to play white historical figures, including Anglo-Saxon and Tudor nobles.
The Odyssey will be officially released in UK cinemas on July 17.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
