For Zendaya, some good news got even better with the help of her hubby Tom Holland.
The actress, who plays Athena in the upcoming Christopher Nolan-directed film “The Odyssey,” said in an interview with the Associated Press that Holland was the one to deliver the news of her casting. And it was simply epic.
As Z tells it, Holland – who plays Telemachus, the son of main character Odysseus — had already been cast in the film and was just returning from a meeting with Nolan. Zendaya told the AP that Holland, 30, handed her the film’s script, which the two had been reviewing together just the night before.
“He was like, ‘Read it again.’ And I was like, ‘OK,’” Zendaya, 29, recalled to the AP. “And he was like, ‘But now, think of Athena.’”
It was then that Zendaya said she understood what was going on.
“I was like, ‘Stop right now! You’re joking!’” she told the AP.
The star-studded film is set to hit theaters on July 17.Grant Buchanan/Dave Benett/WireImage
The film, based on Homer’s Ancient Greek epic poem of the same name, features a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Norton and Charlize Theron. It’s slated to hit theaters on July 17.
Zendaya told the AP that Holland’s delivery was “really cool.”
“He was … allowed to be the one to tell me, and that was really special,” said Zendaya, who explained that she had already been overjoyed by Holland’s casting in the film. “I was already on cloud nine. The fact that I was even got to be involved as well was like just this cherry on top.”
The role certainly worked out for the actress. In an interview with TODAY, Nolan said that he was impressed with Zendaya, who he “often referred to on set as ‘perfect.’”
“To the chagrin of other people in the cast,” the director told TODAY correspondent Kaylee Hartung.
Matt Damon, who plays titular character Odysseus, and Holland said they were surprised by the director, who’s known for his analytical directing style and minimal notes to his actors.
“Shock and awe,” Holland said of his reaction.