The Odyssey Reactions Name One Actor As The Best Part Of The Christopher Nolan Movie

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" (read /Film's review) boasts an absolutely stacked cast of A-listers, which means there's potential for any one of them to steal the movie. But according to many early reactions, the real star is actually British actor Himesh Patel, who plays Eurylochus, brother-in-law and second in command to Matt Damon's King Odysseus.

The film follows Damon's war hero as he and his men travel home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, encountering all manner of mythical beasts on the way. Odysseus has been gone for a decade and is presumed dead by most back in Ithaca. Meanwhile, several suitors have competed for the heart of Odysseus' wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), a sordid affair observed with contempt by Odysseus' son, Telemachus, (Tom Holland). Alongside Hathaway, Holland, and Damon, the film also features Zendaya as the goddess Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, Charlize Theron as the nymph Calypso, Benny Safdie as the Greek king Agamemnon, and Jon Bernthal as King Menelaus. But not only do some viewers feel the spotlight belongs to Patel, many are surprised by how much screen time the actor has.

Patel, who previously played an arms dealer in Nolan's "Tenet," has seemingly delighted audiences with his portrayal of Odysseus' right hand man. X/Twitter user Kenxie xcx wrote that she was "a little taken aback" by how much screen time Patel had compared to how much press he's been involved with. "Not only is Himesh in much more of the film than some of the bigger names," she wrote. "But he's pretty incredible in the film (duh) but he's very integral to Nolan's adaptation." And she's far from the only person who feels that way.

Himesh Patel kicked off his career by playing Tamwar Masood on the BBC soap opera "EastEnders," remaining a resident of Albert Square from 2007 to 2016. He has since gone on to star in much bigger projects, earning an Emmy nomination for playing the lead in HBO's "Station Eleven" and fronting Danny Boyle's musical romantic comedy "Yesterday." But "The Odyssey" is Patel's biggest project to date, both in scale and in terms of its profile among audiences. And it looks as though he's made the most of it.

It helps that Christopher Nolan gave him some considerable screen time, a fact that wasn't lost on audiences. On X/Twitter, Stephen Ford was "elated" to announce that Patel "is in like half the run time of 'The Odyssey,' so this flick is an immediate five stars on Letterboxd for me." Sarah Hagi felt similarly, writing, "It is so crazy he's basically the second most featured person in this movie and nobody is acting like it?" Others expressed the same sentiment with Ezra Cubero praising Patel for being "SO good in 'The Odyssey!'," adding, "I'm beyond thrilled to see him get such a substantial role in a film of this size. It gives him ample room to shine right alongside Matt Damon." Jazz Tangcay agreed, writing, "We need to talk about Himesh and how great he is in this film."

Well, that's exactly what people are doing, and it's not just the audience members. Reviewers have highlighted Patel's contributions to "The Odyssey" as being much more considerable than the marketing would have you believe.

"The Odyssey" has already broken a Rotten Tomatoes record for Christopher Nolan, debuting with a 98% critic score. It seems much of that positive critical response was spurred by Himesh Patel, who has won over several reviewers with his Eurylochus performance.

Critic Caroline Siede took to X/Twitter ahead of delivering her full review to note that "Himesh Patel has more screen time than half of the actors they have out there doing photo calls and interviews. He should be way more centered in the press!" The Ringer writer Joanna Robinson replied, "REALLY agree. He's almost co-lead, honestly?" to which Siede responded, "as much as Anne [Hathaway] and Tom [Holland] are."

Elsewhere, writing for the Associated Press, Jake Coyle characterized Patel's performance as "excellent," while Mashable's Belen Edwards went even further, writing, "Himesh Patel is an astounding, grounding force as Odysseus' second-in-command Eurylochus." Yahoo Entertainment reviewer Brett Arnold also highlighted just how much Patel is given to do in "The Odyssey," writing "Patel stands out for having a role far larger than some of his A-list co-stars." And /Film's Jeremy Mathai singled out Patel as the MVP of the entire film.

If nothing else, then, this should be a sign to check out the actor's other work, such as when he dug deep for one of the most intense scenes in "Station Eleven." Otherwise, "The Odyssey" hits theaters on July 17, 2026.