Mumbai

Standing in the middle of the room when the camera’s not rolling and just observing co-stars Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon. Those, says actor Tom Holland, could well be some of his most loved moments from shooting Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”.

The 30-year-old, who made a splash with his turn as Spider-Man in a series of movies, plays Odysseus's son Telemachus in Nolan’s long-awaited film based on Homer’s epic about a war-weary hero’s treacherous journey back home.

The retelling of the story from Greek mythology is an action heavy exercise with monsters, vengeful gods and other fantastical characters. There were moments when Holland was present on the sets but required to do nothing. Those stand out for him.

"What I love about being an actor is that there are times on set where you really get to stand in the middle of the room and do nothing. And that's when the camera's not rolling,” Holland told PTI in an interview.

"And for me, I like to learn from people by watching them and watching the way they behave and treat people and work with people. So for me, I had the perfect footprints to try and follow in Annie and in Matt. So, I was kind of spoilt for choice when it comes to lessons," he said.

Nolan, Damon and Holland were in Mumbai this weekend for the India premiere as part of a global tour.

Working with Nolan was like a dream come true for the young actor who had long been told that he must do whatever it takes to get himself on a film by the director.

"I definitely had a very long conversation with Robert Downey (Jr)," Holland said, referring to his Marvel co-star who won an Oscar for best supporting actor for Nolan's last release "Oppenheimer".

"And then one of my best friends in life has worked with Chris for, I think, 20 years. He's our stunt coordinator. And every time he and I would get together for dinner, he would tell me, 'You have to do whatever it takes to find yourself on a Christopher Nolan set'."

It finally happened.

"The Odyssey", arguably Nolan’s most ambitious film, is one that Holland describes as a first of its kind.

"For a community of people that love cinema as much as you guys do here, this will be one of those moments you'll be comparing every cinema experience you have after this one to 'The Odyssey'," he told PTI.

Holland didn’t have as many action sequences as Damon, who plays Odysseus. But there were challenges aplenty.

"I think the biggest challenge, and I feel a little embarrassed saying this because I didn't work as hard as Matt did, but it was the endurance. This story is epic and the adventure that we're going on is as grand as any. And finding that energy and keeping up that momentum for the duration of the shoot was really, really difficult.

"I can only imagine what that must have been like for Matt and his crew. It was just the daily struggle of trying to make sure that what we were doing felt epic for me was probably the biggest challenge," Holland said.

This was the “Uncharted” star’s second visit to Mumbai. He had come earlier in 2023 for an event.

“ I am always touched by how welcoming everyone is. I want to see the countryside. I want to kind of explore more outside the bigger cities and meet people," he said.

Holland also recounted a dinner experience during his three-day visit this time.

"It wasn't just a dinner. It was an experience. Every dish came with a piece of knowledge and information about Indian culture, you know, even as far as the cutlery we used to the types of cups we were using. And for me coming here, I come from England and we have a huge Indian population in England,” he said.

"The Odyssey" also features Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Samantha Morton, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie and John Leguizamo.

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Produced by Universal Pictures and Syncopy, "The Odyssey" will release in theatres across the world, including India, on July 17.