Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey features a number of practical sequences that required cast members to partake in several potentially dangerous stunts. Actor Himesh Patel recently spoke about how such stunts, including one involving bees, were essential to the epic adventure for one very simple reason.
Himesh Patel explains why his ‘bee’ stunt was necessary in The Odyssey
In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, the English actor, who plays Odysseus’ second-in-command Eurylochus in the movie, explained the importance of having risky stunt sequences in The Odyssey.
“It adds a sort of visceral quality to it, which you see on screen that you don’t really see that often,” noted Patel. “He’s a rare filmmaker in that he trusts we have a certain level of common sense to keep ourselves safe, but also that he’s got the best stunt teams around, the best marine teams around, that kept us safe and kept us from ever being in any real danger.”
Patel then talked about the Cyclops scene in the film, which required him and several other of his castmates to put themselves at risk of getting stung by bees. “[It] allows him to capture that sort of visceral reality of what it was like to be on the boat or be in the cave, that sort of thing. And then you have things like that swarm of bees outside the Cyclops cave. That was just real,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, Christopher Nolan’s stunt team managed to ensure a safe shoot for all the personnel involved, allowing The Odyssey to maximize realism, despite its fantastical elements. “When we broke for lunch, they were like, ‘Just wait five minutes.’ The sound team captured the sound of the bees. Sometimes you have these beautiful accidents,” Patel noted about the sound of the real bees being used in the scene.
The Odyssey made its theatrical debut on July 17 and has already garnered an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and audiences.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
