‘The Odyssey’: Tom Holland says IMAX acting requires subtlety, hails Christopher Nolan’s camera team as ‘F1 Pit Crew’

MUMBAI: Actor Tom Holland has shared fresh insights into working with Christopher Nolan on Odyssey, describing the unique challenges of performing for IMAX cameras and praising the film’s camera crew for helping actors maintain the emotional intensity of scenes.

Speaking during the film’s press conference in Mumbai on July 11, Holland reflected on his experience of shooting with 150-pound IMAX film cameras and how the technical demands of the format shaped his performance.

“Shooting with IMAX requires a great deal of collaboration,” Holland said, adding, “Not just between the actors and the director, but the actors and the crew, and then in turn the camera department. We were so lucky that our camera department were more like an F1 pit crew… they were so fast, they were so effective, they were so professional.”

He said the crew’s efficiency played a crucial role in preserving the emotional momentum of scenes. “For us, when we’re doing emotional scenes or scenes that require a lot of energy, the death of that scene is the loss of momentum. Those guys, our team, made sure that we never lost momentum, so a lot of the credit has to go to them,” he added.

#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Answering a question by ANI on working with Christopher Nolan and adapting IMAX shooting style, Actor Tom Holland says, “Shooting with IMAX requires a great deal of collaboration, not just between the actors and the director, but the actors and the… pic.twitter.com/aiP2Lo09mq

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Holland also credited his recent stage experience in Romeo and Juliet for preparing him to work within the constraints of IMAX filmmaking.

“I think I was really lucky that I did a play the year before I did this movie,” he said, adding, “Because working with IMAX and understanding how precious that film was kind of feels a little bit like doing a stage play, where you know that those moments are fleeting, and if you miss it, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to try and get it right.”

The actor said the experience helped him stay emotionally connected to his character while filming under the demanding conditions of large-format cinematography.

Reflecting on performing for IMAX, Holland noted that the format requires a different acting approach than conventional filmmaking. “There’s a big difference between stage acting and film acting, and then I think there’s almost an equal difference between film acting and IMAX acting,” he said.

Explaining the challenge, Holland added, “There’s a subtlety that you have to bring just because logistically you’re gonna be a hundred feet tall on the IMAX screen- which I wish I was by the way (laughs). So figuring that out was a really fun challenge, and I think everyone rose to the occasion.”

Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas, Matt Damon and Tom Holland were in Mumbai last week for the premiere of ‘The Odyssey’ on July 10, followed by a press conference on July 11, where the cast and filmmakers spoke about the making of the highly anticipated mythological epic.

‘The Odyssey’ also stars Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya in key roles. The movie will release in cinemas on July 17. (ANI)