Tom Holland breaks silence on 'The Odyssey' ‘dad’ controversy

Tom Holland has fired back at critics questioning the modern dialogue in Sir Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic The Odyssey.

The 30-year-old actor, who plays Telemachus, the son of Matt Damon's legendary Greek hero, has addressed the growing backlash surrounding Nolan's fresh take on Homer's ancient tale. 

Some fans have criticised the film for using modern language and American accents instead of a more traditional approach.

But Tom believes the complaints miss the point.

Speaking on Channel 4 News, The Impossible actor explained that using the word "father" wouldn't have been any more historically accurate than "dad".

"Because I wouldn’t have even said 'father' back in the day, would I? It would’ve been Greek. So it's no less correct," he said.

The 55-year-old director also defended his creative choices, arguing that people often place unnecessary expectations on stories from the ancient world simply because of their age.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker said his aim was to make the centuries-old poem feel "fresh" and accessible for modern audiences, adding that Homer's original work is far more grounded and relatable than many people assume.

He insisted that he encouraged the cast to strip away outdated ideas about how ancient stories should sound and instead focus on making the characters feel real.

Nolan has also brushed aside criticism over the film's American accents, saying debates before audiences have even seen the finished movie are ultimately meaningless.

Drawing comparisons to the scepticism he faced while making Batman Begins and The Dark Knight trilogy, he said filmmakers cannot allow fan expectations to dictate their work.

Instead, Nolan believes the key is to respect the original source material while delivering the strongest and most sincere interpretation possible, even if it divides opinion before release.

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