The British actor, who also features in this year’s major box-office release Spider-Man: Brand New Day, made the remarks during a screening of Nolan’s Greek epic at London’s BFI IMAX theatre on Thursday.
Holland, who plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, was asked what he had gained from working on the production. He identified confidence and a desire to explore new opportunities as his biggest takeaways.
“I’d probably say it’s confidence and an ambition to see what else is out there for me,” he said.
Reflecting on his long-standing admiration for Nolan, Holland described the opportunity to work with the director and receive his approval as an important experience that could shape his future choices.
“I’ve been an admirer of Chris since I can remember, and to have the opportunity to work with him and to have his approval, and to sit in his house and watch his movie and to get a pat on the back, for me, just was like the perfect way for me to start whatever it is that I’m doing next,” Holland explained.
“He’s given me a level of confidence as an actor that I don’t know if I had before and I’m very grateful that that is something that I can take away from this.”
The Spider-Man star, who has portrayed the Marvel superhero for more than a decade, also acknowledged the contributions of his fellow cast members, including his wife, Zendaya, as well as the production crew. However, he said Nolan’s encouragement would remain particularly significant as he moves into his next project.
Holland said he would approach his future work “with this sense of achievement and this newfound confidence in what I think I can do,” adding that Nolan and his wife and producing partner, Emma Nolan, were particularly effective at supporting the actors they work with.
“That is what Chris and Emma do so well, is they really champion their actors,” he said.
The actor is reportedly in pre-production for a biographical film about legendary dancer and entertainer Fred Astaire, a project expected to reconnect him with his dancing background. Holland began his career on the West End stage, playing the lead role in Billy Elliot.
Meanwhile, fellow The Odyssey cast member Robert Pattinson, who portrays the scheming Antinous, also attended the London screening and praised Nolan and Emma’s approach to filmmaking.
Pattinson described the couple as remarkably composed, saying they made the demanding process of producing a major film appear “effortless”.
Offering an unusual glimpse into their lives away from film sets, Pattinson revealed that he lives next door to the Nolans in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. He recalled seeing Emma organise a charity bake sale at their home just days before the couple travelled to begin filming The Odyssey.
According to Pattinson, Emma had prepared numerous cakes and spent the day selling them to neighbours, despite the production being only days away from commencing.
“It’s like a week out from shooting, and [Emma] had made about a million cakes, which were delicious, like incredible cakes, and she stayed all day,” Pattinson marvelled.
“It was for a charity, and she’s like selling cakes in the driveway, to the neighbors, all day. This is about five days before the shoot. Her and Chris. I was literally like, this is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He added that he had walked past the couple and jokingly asked whether they were still selling cakes.
“I was literally just walking past. I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re still doing the cakes?’” he laughed. “It’s wild. They’re just on another level of calm.”
Beyond its star-studded cast, The Odyssey has attracted attention for the scale and technical ambition of its production. The film was shot over three months across six countries, using locations on land and at sea.
It is also the first feature film to be shot entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras, with Nolan reportedly using more than two million feet of film in the process.
Holland praised the director’s ability to combine large-scale filmmaking with the emotional depth of individual characters.
“I think what’s so amazing about Chris is that he’s able to create scale, but without sacrificing the heart and soul of what makes the characters tick,” he said during the screening at the 65-foot-high BFI IMAX theatre.
He also highlighted the unique demands of performing for IMAX, suggesting that the format creates a different level of intimacy and exposure for actors.
“The beauty of the Imax camera is that it almost like looks into your soul,” he continued. “You know, like you have stage acting, and then it kind of goes to film acting, and there’s a difference. And then I think there’s even a bigger difference to IMAX acting.”
However, the actor found one unexpected downside to the film’s enormous screen presentation. Looking towards the giant display behind him, Holland joked that he was unhappy about a close-up revealing a facial blemish in the opening scene.
“I was very upset about my pimple opening the movie. It literally is the opening scene. First time you see me, it’s like right there,” he quipped.