Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is finally out this weekend, but one of the film’s most impressive parts wasn’t created with CGI or built on a studio set. The enormous Viking ship featured in the film is the Draken Harald Hårfagre, a genuine, ocean-going Norse longship that’s fully operational and still making voyages today. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bill Weir (@bill_weir1) Even though it appears in The Odyssey as an ancient Greek warship, the Draken isn’t just a convincing movie prop. It’s a full-scale recreation built using traditional Viking shipbuilding methods, with period materials and the same huge dimensions as the original vessels that once crossed the North Atlantic. Unlike most film sets, this ship doesn’t stay docked when filming wraps. It has a working crew and regularly sails across open water. In fact, it made the journey from Norway to Oslo for The Odyssey’s 17th July premiere, with CEO and expedition director Emanuel Persson leading the voyage. Universal Speaking to Artnet from onboard the ship, Persson explained why using a real vessel makes such a difference on screen. “There is something on board that cannot easily be faked: The weight of the oak, the sound of the rigging, the movement of the sail, the crew working together in real wind and water,” he said. “When you put a real ship in real conditions, it brings a different kind of truth to the image.” It’s exactly the sort of detail you’d expect from Christopher Nolan, who’s built a reputation not using CGI, whenever possible. Having an authentic longship out on the water was probably an easy decision for a director known for going the extra mile to make his films feel as real as possible. Universal The cast noticed the difference too. In a behind-the-scenes feature, Zendaya, who plays the goddess Athena, said filming on the real ship made the experience far more immersive. “As an actress, it’s such a luxury to be in such an immersive space. I don’t have to pretend I’m on a boat. I’m on the boat. We are at sea.” For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Universal Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
