'He's my safety blanket': Tom Holland reveals being anxious about 'The Odyssey' until Robert Pattinson was cast

'He's so good at playing a d*ckhead' Holland joked, explaining how his concerns disappeared when Pattinson was cast

Tom Holland has revealed that he was initially anxious about portraying one of the most important relationships in The Odyssey before learning that Robert Pattinson had been cast as his on-screen rival.

Holland discussed the experience during Entertainment Weekly's "Around the Table" series alongside director Christopher Nolan and co-stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo and Pattinson.

Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, whose conflict with Antinous is central to the story.

He admitted he felt significant pressure to make the rivalry convincing, as it drives his character's decision to leave Ithaca in search of his father.

Explaining how his concerns disappeared, Holland turned to Pattinson and said, “He’s my safety blanket … we’ve made 3 movies together … we establish the stakes of this movie right at the beginning, I felt the weight of that pressure … and the friction between these characters … I knew I could relax [when he was cast] because he’s so good at playing a d*ckhead.”

Pattinson, surprised by the remark, reportedly asked when Holland had reached that conclusion, prompting laughter from the rest of the panel.

Holland and Pattinson first worked together on The Lost City of Z in 2016 before reuniting for The Devil All the Time. Their previous collaborations helped build the trust Holland said made working together on Christopher Nolan's latest film much easier.

The Odyssey is now showing in cinemas, featuring an ensemble cast that also includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal.