Christopher Nolan Film The Odyssey

Travis Scott’s surprising role in The Odyssey actually makes a lot more sense than you think

He appears right at the start

Hebe Hancock
20th July 2026, 11:02
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When it was first announced that Travis Scott had landed a role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the reaction online was… confused, to say the least. Plenty of people couldn’t work out why the rapper had been cast in a film based on one of the oldest stories ever told.

Now that the film has finally hit cinemas, it turns out Scott’s appearance actually has a bigger purpose than many people expected.

Via Universal

Scott appears right at the beginning of the film as one of the bards entertaining the suitors who have taken over Ithaca while Odysseus remains missing. As they feast, drink and wait for the chance to marry Queen Penelope and claim the throne, Scott performs songs celebrating Odysseus’ victories in the Trojan War, punctuating each verse by striking his staff against the floor.

The performance doesn’t last long, though. Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, has clearly heard enough retellings of her husband’s exploits and cuts the song short.

According to Nolan, there was a reason Scott was cast in the role beyond simply making a surprise cameo.

Back in May, the director told Time magazine: ‘”I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap.”

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Scott also spoke about working with Nolan at the film’s premiere, saying the pair quickly realised they had a similar perspective on storytelling.

“I feel like we [Scott and Nolan] felt kind of the same way about what music is and how, as an artist, you can deliver a story,” Scott said on the red carpet.

The film also closes with a brand new song called When I’m Home, written by Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson alongside James Blake and Travis Scott, with Christopher Nolan also credited as a co-writer.

It’s the final track on the official soundtrack and plays over the film’s ending.

The collaboration also isn’t the first time Scott and Göransson have worked together. The pair previously teamed up on the end credits track The Plan for Nolan’s 2020 film Tenet.

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Featured image credit: Universal/Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock