Travis Scott walked the London premiere carpet Monday night and gave Deadline the short version of how one of The Odyssey‘s most eyebrow-raising casting choices happened: Christopher Nolan picked up the phone.
“I just got a call from Nolan,” Scott said. “We had this crazy idea. You know, and I was like, yo, I’m down to rock. However you want to do it, you know what I’m saying? So, yeah. It’s crazy.”
That’s the origin story from Scott’s side: a personal call from Nolan, a pitch he only describes as a crazy idea, and an instant yes.
Who Is Travis Scott Playing in The Odyssey?
Scott plays a bard, which Nolan himself confirmed to Time back in May, explaining he cast the rapper as a nod to how Homer’s story “has been handed down as oral poetry,” something Nolan considers analogous to rap.
Audiences have already seen a taste. The TV spot that aired during January’s AFC Championship Game gave Scott a moment, silencing a rowdy mess hall to tell Telemachus (Tom Holland) the story of his father: “A war, a man, a trick.”
And the phone call makes more sense with the history attached. Scott and Nolan go back to Tenet, where the rapper contributed “The Plan” to the soundtrack, and Nolan publicly praised his musical and narrative instincts.
What nobody outside the production knows is how big the part actually is. GQ openly questioned in January whether Scott has a real role or a glorified cameo, and Monday’s raves out of the premiere singled out half the ensemble without settling it.
The Crazy Idea Stays Under Wraps
What Scott didn’t reveal is what the crazy idea actually was, whether that’s the bard concept itself, something musical, or something the marketing hasn’t touched.
This production has leaked almost nothing it didn’t choose to, and Scott, grinning through a 12-second answer, kept the streak alive.
Scott’s comments also come with the first reactions out of London calling the film a triumph, while there is still big backlash to the trailer and cast.
For everything confirmed and still rumored about the film, see our full guide to Nolan’s The Odyssey.
