*This post contains spoilers for The Odyssey.*
The Odyssey is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It broke the internet and then broke the box office just last week on July 17. The numbers so far are out of this world: it’s surpassed $600 million globally after just two weekends of release. Not bad for a two-and-a-half-hour ancient Greek epic, Christopher.
Our beloved Zendaya, who plays Athena, was one of the performances audiences were most excited to see. Alas, a couple of weeks before the movie came out, early screening information leaked, claiming that Zendaya’s screentime amounted to just five minutes. Huge disappointment broke out online, and fans were not happy.
After watching the film myself in IMAX (yes, I fought for those tickets, and I have absolutely no regrets), I’m happy to report that Zendaya’s lack of screentime is not the problem everyone thinks it is.
What We Expected
Ever since Zendaya’s casting announcement dropped, we’ve been on a high. We saw her front and center in every trailer, set leak, and marketing campaign. The promo tour certainly didn’t disappoint either. Zendaya stunned on every red carpet, showcasing incredible outfits and answering questions about her involvement in the production.
The press tour looks alone had us convinced we were getting a full Athena arc — you don’t just show up to The Odyssey premiere in custom Valentino for five minutes of screentime. Or apparently, you do.
As the goddess of wisdom, Athena felt like the perfect role for Zendaya. With Z’s immaculate angel aura, the casting made complete sense. Naturally, after all that promotion, we assumed she would be everywhere.
Even Christopher Nolan described Zendaya’s performance as “perfect.” Sir, with all due respect, you couldn’t have hyped her up more and then given us five minutes. We have questions. Like, why did we actually only get five minutes of screentime?
What We Actually Got
If you haven’t watched The Odyssey yet, proceed with caution because we’re about to spill some beans.
We first catch a glimpse of Athena when Odysseus is trying to remember what happened on Calypso’s Island. We then see a few more brief moments as Athena nudges him toward the truth, pulling at his memories like loose threads.
Fast forward to the third act, and we see a young woman with Athena’s face being brutally murdered by Troy’s soldiers. That’s when all the pieces click into place. Athena was never physically there. She represented Odysseus’ guilt, shame, and conscience. She had been haunting the narrative all along.
I sat there in IMAX with my jaw on the floor, completely unprepared. Christopher Nolan, applause.
What the Internet Said
The screentime discourse made a lot more sense after watching the movie. Fans have largely split into two camps: those who understood the meaning behind Athena’s role, and those who are still upset about how little Zendaya actually appears on screen.
@zendayaqs on X made a great point about Athena “haunting the narrative.” Another user, @missmalayalee, expressed frustration over Zendaya “aura farming” the entire press tour only to appear on screen for a matter of seconds.
At the same time, we’ve also seen plenty of fans praising Zendaya’s performance and how she managed to convey so much in such a short amount of time. Both sides make sense. We spent the first half of the movie waiting for more Zendaya and the second half realizing we’d actually been getting her the whole time.
Why It Actually Works
Athena haunting the narrative is far more powerful than Athena physically appearing throughout the movie. In my opinion, her impact wouldn’t have been nearly as strong if she had shown up on screen every 10 minutes.
Once you realize Athena represents guilt and shame, you begin looking back at every scene from a completely different perspective.
Remember when Albert Einstein showed up in Oppenheimer for about five minutes and somehow became one of the film’s most haunting presences? Same energy. When you’re sitting in IMAX and that scene arrives, you can feel Zendaya’s emotions and presence all around you.
Zendaya knew what she was signing up for when she accepted the role. She was probably aware that Athena had limited screentime, yet she still managed to portray the character’s emotion and depth beautifully. I love that for her.
If The Odyssey becomes the awards contender I honestly think it will, Athena’s haunting presence will be one of the things people remember most. And if Zendaya earns an Oscar nomination for just five minutes of screentime, I won’t be surprised.
She picked the right role. She always does.
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