Tom Holland has defended saying ‘dad’ in The Odyssey after people slammed the modern language

Turns out one of the biggest talking points from Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey isn’t the cast or the CGI, it’s the fact Tom Holland calls Odysseus “dad”.

The upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic has already sparked a ridiculous amount of discourse online, with people picking apart everything from the casting to the language used in the film.

One moment in particular has gone viral after trailers showed Tom Holland’s Telemachus referring to Odysseus as “dad”, with critics arguing the modern wording completely takes them out of the ancient Greek story.

Tom doesn’t really see what the fuss is about. Speaking to Channel 4 News, he defended the choice, saying that swapping “dad” for “father” wouldn’t suddenly make it any more authentic.

“I wouldn’t have even said ‘father’ back in the day, would I?” he said. “It would’ve been Greek.”

Christopher Nolan has also addressed the backlash, saying people tend to put the ancient world on a pedestal instead of engaging with what Homer actually wrote.

“There’s a lot of cultural prejudice. There’s a lot of sort of elevating it, because it’s old, you know, whatever it is,” he said. “When you go to the poem, what you find is something that’s really earthy and grounded and accessible.”

According to Nolan, that was exactly why he wanted the film to “feel very fresh for modern audiences” instead of treating the source material like something untouchable.

That explanation hasn’t stopped the internet from complaining, though. The film’s trailers have reportedly racked up hundreds of thousands of dislikes on YouTube, with debate around the adaptation showing no signs of slowing down.

And the “dad” discourse is only one part of it. People have been arguing over the cast since it was first announced. Some criticised Lupita Nyong’o being cast as Helen of Troy, while others questioned Zendaya’s role as Athena, claiming she doesn’t match the traditional image of the goddess. The absence of ethnic Greek actors in major roles has also become a talking point.

Even Elon Musk couldn’t resist getting involved. He accused Nolan of being an “anti-white racist” over Nyong’o’s casting as Helen and claimed the director was “desecrating” Homer’s work.

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Featured image credit: Universal