Why Agamemnon In Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Seems So Acquainted

Agamemnon would not play an enormous function in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey,” however he looms massive over the narrative … and that is not simply because his actor, Benny Safdie, stands at over six toes tall. The Greek king of Mycenae, husband to the captive Clytemnestra (Lupita Nyong’o, in a twin function as her and her twin sister Helen of Troy), and the chief of the Greek military that sacks Troy alongside our hero Odysseus (Matt Damon), Agamemnon cuts an imposing determine in his monumental black helmet adorned with a golden element that appears like vertebrae, which he pairs with an all-black outfit and large cape that units him other than his troopers.

I will not get into “spoilers,” insofar as there are “spoilers” about an epic poem attributed to the Greek author Homer that got here out 1000’s of years in the past, about Agamemnon’s destiny in Nolan’s tackle “The Odyssey.” I will say that Safdie speaks little or no on this movie — not solely is Agamemnon seen virtually completely in flashbacks to the conflict fought by him and Odysseus and their males, however he stays silent for many of his display screen time, which, frankly, makes him all of the extra intimidating. 

So, the place have you learnt Safdie from? Lots of issues, most likely, however I will slim it down for you. From earlier Nolan movies to different prestigious initiatives, this is why Benny Safdie, who performs Agamemnon in “The Odyssey,” appears so acquainted.

Finally, it isn’t that shocking that Benny Safdie discovered his means into the sprawling forged of “The Odyssey,” as a result of he was additionally a part of the sprawling forged of Christopher Nolan’s 2023 historic drama “Oppenheimer.” In Nolan’s Greatest Image Oscar-winning ode to J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy, who picked up his personal Oscar for his efficiency), the titular man struggles to grasp the implications of his personal actions after he helps the US authorities create the atomic bombs which are finally dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, how does Safdie issue into narrative? 

Safdie portrays Edward Teller, one other actual historic determine who truly did work with Oppenheimer and is named the “father of the hydrogen bomb.” As a result of the actual Teller hailed from Hungary, Safdie adopts an accent for the sensible but slyly humorous Teller, and in response to an interview he had with Vulture, he was very nervous about this facet of the function. Nolan despatched him interviews, and Safdie studied intensively. “At any time when Teller spoke, he was all the time sort of posturing, so we had been making an attempt to determine what he feels like when he isn’t performing in that means,” Safdie defined. 

Past that, although, it looks like Safdie was virtually meant to play Teller. “Once I was younger, I needed to develop into a nuclear physicist. I had studied the usual mannequin in highschool,” he informed the outlet. “It truly is a deep ardour of mine! So then, when [Nolan] requested me to play the a part of Edward Teller, it was a no brainer, as a result of I knew who he was.”

If you have not seen “Oppenheimer,” it is nonetheless doable you’ve got seen Benny Safdie pop up in different stuff … or, alternatively, you’ve got seen one of many films he is directed. Alongside his brother Josh, Safdie helmed movies like “Good Time” (which stars his eventual co-star in “The Odyssey,” Robert Pattinson, who seems because the evil suitor Antinous) and “Uncut Gems,” the high-stress drama starring Adam Sandler in a uncommon dramatic function. Lately, the Safdie brothers have parted methods; in 2025, Benny directed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in “The Smashing Machine,” and Josh took on the Oscar-nominated Timothée Chalamet showcase “Marty Supreme.”

As an actor, Safdie has appeared in a large swath of initiatives. In the event you loved Nathan Fielder’s offbeat Showtime collection “The Curse” with Emma Stone, you may keep in mind Safdie because the producer of a fictional residence enchancment present; he additionally co-wrote the collection with Fielder. In the meantime, within the 2023 movie adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal coming-of-age e-book “Are You There God? It is Me, Margaret,” Safdie performs the pivotal supporting function of Herb Simon, whose domineering however loving mom Sylvia (Kathy Bates) is horrified when he strikes his spouse Barbara and daughter Margaret (Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson) from Manhattan to suburban New Jersey. You may even spot Safdie in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” and the comedy sequel “Blissful Gilmore 2” (which reunites him together with his “Uncut Gems” star Sandler) or hear him as Bowser Jr. within the animated “Tremendous Mario” films.

“The Odyssey,” which, once more, options Safdie as Agamemnon, is in theaters now.