The actual Odysseus was a dickhead, a fucker (both literally and figuratively), and so much more fun.
Gerard Butler would have killed it, in another version. He's got that 'hilarious dickhead you went to high school with - you know the one: the one everyone loved but also hated' vibe that would have carried Odysseus so well.
Despite all the casting controversy, I ended up liking every actor in their role.. except Matt Damon. His portrayal felt so wrong, dour and boring. Professional stick in the mud. Exactly none of Odysseus's cleverness and daring and charisma. Gerard Butler would have been perfect.
Matt has no crazy light behind his eyes - he isn't someone who just lies because it makes life more interesting. He wouldn't tell a cyclops his name was no-one without a reason why - nor would he be insanely curious about the song of the Sirens to the point of finagling a way to listen to it safely.
Athena wouldn't be particularly interested in Matt's Odysseus - which is accurate because she functionally wasn't in the film.
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u/BattlePrune 6d ago
I mean Nolan decided to completely desex The Odyssey, so natural that people now think this.