Christopher Nolan Compared Samantha Morton in “The Odyssey” to Heath Ledger’s Joker. Why She Called It ‘LifeChanging’ (Exclusive) Tommy McArdle, Gina KalsiWed, July 8, 2026 at 5:05 PM UTC 0 Samantha Morton at The Odyssey photocall on July 5 in London ; Heath Ledger as the Joker ; Christopher Nolan at The Odyssey premiere on July 6 in LondonCredit: Getty; Everett; Getty Samantha Morton tells PEOPLE about why getting to act in The Odyssey was “lifechanging” for her The movie’s director Christopher Nolan said he and his wife, producing partner Emma Thomas, compared Morton’s impact on the producti...
Christopher Nolan Compared Samantha Morton in “The Odyssey” to Heath Ledger’s Joker. Why She Called It ‘Life-Changing’ (Exclusive)
Tommy McArdle, Gina KalsiWed, July 8, 2026 at 5:05 PM UTC
0
Samantha Morton at The Odyssey photocall on July 5 in London ; Heath Ledger as the Joker ; Christopher Nolan at The Odyssey premiere on July 6 in LondonCredit: Getty; Everett; Getty -
Samantha Morton tells PEOPLE about why getting to act in The Odyssey was “life-changing” for her
The movie’s director Christopher Nolan said he and his wife, producing partner Emma Thomas, compared Morton’s impact on the production to Heath Ledger’s in their 2008 movie The Dark Knight
Morton portrays the ancient Greek goddess Circe in The Odyssey, in theaters July 17
Samantha Morton is emerging as one of the standout performers in Christopher Nolan‘s highly anticipated new movie The Odyssey, and the actress tells PEOPLE that the opportunity to act in the film changed her life.
“Christopher Nolan is obviously a master of what he does and for me, it’s utterly life-changing to get the moment to progress my craft because I’m always learning,” Morton, 49, tells PEOPLE at the movie’s Monday, July 6 premiere in London. “I’m 49 years old, I’m always learning, I’m always getting better. And I felt so honored and privileged to be in a situation where I could do that with a master.”
Multiple movie critics noted Morton’s performance in The Odyssey as Circe — a goddess whom Matt Damon‘s Odysseus encounters on his years-long journey to return home after the Trojan War — in their first reactions to the film on July 6.
Samantha Morton attends the world premiere of “The Odyssey” at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 06, 2026 in LondonCredit: Mike Marsland/WireImage
Oscar-winning filmmaker Nolan, 55, also sang Morton’s praises in a July 7 interview with the Los Angeles Times, saying he and his wife, producing partner Emma Thomas, favorably compared Morton’s impact on the production to that of Heath Ledger‘s iconic performance in their 2008 movie The Dark Knight.
“This was a massive film and she is someone who comes in and changes the dynamic. In some weird way, the film lived or died over that character. She was the fulcrum,” Nolan told the outlet, noting that he built a filming schedule around Morton’s availability so she could appear in the film. “I’ve always admired Samantha’s work, she brings so much depth of thinking about her role, there are no limitations on her performance.”
“After one of her takes, the crew gave her a great round of applause,” he added. “I was talking with Emma [Thomas] afterwards and she remembered that the last time that had happened was with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight.”
Ledger died at 28 in January 2008, six months before The Dark Knight‘s release. He posthumously won an Academy Award at the 2009 Oscars for portraying Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker, in The Dark Knight, and his work in the movie is considered among the best big-screen villain performances of all time.
Heath Ledger as the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’Credit: Everett
Nearly 20 years later, Morton’s Circe hits the big screen in The Odyssey with an ensemble cast that also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie and Himesh Patel, among others.
Advertisement
“There are no off days,” Morton tells PEOPLE on the red carpet, when asked what downtime looks like on a movie set with the famed director and the movie’s large cast of high-profile actors.
She continues, “You are on for the rest of your life, in a good way. It’s life-changing from the minute I got the call to meet Christopher Nolan to getting the role of Circe, to filming it, to going home when I first saw it for this special night tonight, I will remember it for the rest of my life. It’s always going to be with me.”
Morton has been acting for the screen since 1991 and has appeared in movies like Minority Report, Synecdoche, New York, She Said, The Whale and, most recently, Anemone. She has been nominated for two Oscars in her career for the movies Sweet and Lowdown and In America.
When Morton and Patel, 35, appeared on the British news show This Morning on July 6 to promote The Odyssey, she said that the standing ovation she received from the movie’s crew “makes me want to cry, actually.”
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It was incredible, and for Christopher to give me that opportunity — I’m 49 and you don’t know that those roles are ever going to come your way again,” she said. “It was like, ‘Thank you for giving me this.’ ”
The Odyssey is in theaters July 17.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: July 8, 2026 at 08:45PM on Source: RED MAG
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle