Guillermo del Toro Opens Up About Inspiring Christopher Nolan's Cyclops in The Odyssey

Speaking with IGN arsenic portion of our IGN30 Icon Series, Guillermo del Toro opened up astir however helium inspired Christopher Nolan’s cyclops successful The Odyssey — on with a hilarious anecdote astir 1 peculiar country successful the film.

Christopher Nolan has been unfastened astir however overmuch del Toro’s iconic creatures person inspired his ain work, particularly erstwhile crafting The Odyssey’s Polyphemus, the elephantine cyclops (and Poseidon’s son) that feasts connected Odysseus’s men.

In an interrogation with Josh Horowitz, Nolan said, “Anytime you’re dealing with phantasy oregon creatures, what Guillermo has taught each of america is that a monster is ne'er conscionable a monster. And for a monster to beryllium absorbing oregon credible, determination has to beryllium an individuality, determination has to beryllium substance to that.”

We got the accidental to talk with Del Toro astir The Odyssey, wherever helium opened up astir his talks with Nolan and adjacent said that the 2 saw the movie unneurotic successful IMAX.

“I loved it,” helium said of Nolan’s Polyphemus (saying ‘the Cyclops’ sounds a spot dehumanizing, doesn’t it?). “I loved everything.”

He went connected to picture a humorous speech helium had with Nolan, wherever helium revealed however helium managed to marque Poseidon’s aggravated waters truthful realistic.

“I asked him, ‘So, erstwhile Matt Damon is successful the tempestuous waters, however did you bash that?’” del Toro recalled. “He’s like, ‘We enactment him successful the water.’ It was truthful fantastic to perceive him reply that. Chris has ever been — and I’ve known him present for astir 15 years oregon much — and he’s ever been perfectly laser-focused.”

Our full, extended interrogation with Guillermo del Toro volition beryllium published aboriginal this twelvemonth arsenic portion of the IGN30 Icons series. In the meantime, you tin cheque retired a erstwhile occurrence of the series, wherever we chatted with Ken Levine, creator of famed games similar System Shock 2 and its spiritual successor, Bioshock.

And if you’re truly keen connected much Guillermo del Toro conversations, you tin cheque retired a abbreviated snippet of the afloat speech close present connected IGN, wherever helium opened up astir his favourite video games with 1 majorly astonishing pick.
The Odyssey is presently showing successful theaters crossed the US, and it's been specified a deed astatine the container bureau that the Prime Minister of Greece personally reached retired to Nolan to convey him for "stimulating planetary involvement successful past Greek culture' — though 1 of the root text's translators had a painfully scathing sentiment of the film.

IGN, however, scored it an 8 retired of 10, with Scott Collura saying the movie "adapts Homer done a caller oculus that brings a consciousness of fearfulness and existential angst to the communicative – and immoderate wit too."

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.