Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick has revealed details about the wardrobe choices for Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Odyssey. The designs avoid historical accuracy in favor of a timeless aesthetic using period-appropriate materials like linen, leather, and bronze.
Mirojnick, who previously collaborated with Nolan on Oppenheimer, emphasized that the director sought to steer clear of typical sword-and-sandals clichés. The costumes instead convey a sense of erosion and texture, with weathered bronze and battle-tested leather for Odysseus and his crew.
Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, undergoes visual changes to reflect his journey of deterioration and adaptation. In contrast, the suitors in Ithaca wear gleaming bronze embellishments to display their status while awaiting Penelope, portrayed by Anne Hathaway.
Deities receive practical attire suited to their environments. Zendaya's Athena appears in simple off-white linen, while Charlize Theron's Calypso wears netting over her dress. Lupita Nyong'o, as Helen, dons a 30-pound brushed bronze chest plate, and as Clytemnestra she appears in rare Tyrian purple dye.
Mirojnick hopes the costumes help evoke the epic's mythology for modern audiences through subtle shifts in silhouette and fabric weight rather than overt period references.
