John Leguizamo Provides His Insights Into Filming Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

In a recent interview on the One Nightstand podcast, actor John Leguizamo, known for roles such as those in the first two John Wick movies, spoke with the editor-in-chief of Bustle, Charlotte Owen, and shared his insights into working on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

In the interview, the actor discussed the intricate process of receiving and reading the script for The Odyssey, a process that, like all of Nolan’s previous films, was shrouded in secrecy. Leguizamo said,

You get it after you sign the contract, you don’t get it before, you don’t get to decide when you get it, and you have to be home, and you have to sign for it, and it has to be you — your assistant can’t pick it up. And then it’s in this red color with shiny black ink…You have to be in the right sunlight, otherwise you can’t read it because it glares.

Leguizamo also discussed the phone ban during production of The Odyssey, a production decision Nolan incorporates into all his films. “You’re not allowed to have your phone,” the actor said, “So you have to talk to people and make friendships.”

As for how Leguizamo prepared for and tapped into his role as the visually impaired Eumaeus, the actor went into great detail. He explained,

I’m visually impaired, so I studied as hard as I could. I have a friend from high school who’s sight impaired, and I spent time with her, studied her behavior, and then I walked around the house with the lights off trying to see what it does to your body.

Leguizamo also explained the many extreme methods he used to tap into the heavy emotions of his character, saying:

I had to spend some time with Matt [Damon, who plays Odysseus] and Tom Holland [who plays Telemachus] because I’m a method actor and I don’t believe you can fake relationships…. Matt [Damon] and Chris knew that I’m a method guy, so I needed to go into my space and talk to myself and hit myself, whatever it is that I need to do to get myself emotionally at that point. But the waterworks came, and the pain came, and it was a prideful moment.

You can see Leguizamo as Eumaeus when The Odyssey releases in IMAX, IMAX 70mm, and other premium and standard formats on July 17th. Leguizamo’s full interview can be viewed below.