Why Agamemnon In Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Looks So Familiar

Agamemnon doesn't play a massive role in Christopher Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey," but he looms large over the narrative ... and that's not just because his actor, Benny Safdie, stands at over six feet tall. The Greek king of Mycenae, husband to the captive Clytemnestra (Lupita Nyong'o, in a dual role as her and her twin sister Helen of Troy), and the leader of the Greek army that sacks Troy alongside our hero Odysseus (Matt Damon), Agamemnon cuts an imposing figure in his enormous black helmet adorned with a golden detail that looks like vertebrae, which he pairs with an all-black outfit and massive cape that sets him apart from his soldiers.

I won't get into "spoilers," insofar as there are "spoilers" about an epic poem attributed to the Greek writer Homer that came out thousands of years ago, about Agamemnon's fate in Nolan's take on "The Odyssey." I will say that Safdie speaks very little in this film — not only is Agamemnon seen almost entirely in flashbacks to the war fought by him and Odysseus and their men, but he remains silent for most of his screen time, which, frankly, makes him all the more intimidating. 

So, where do you know Safdie from? A lot of things, probably, but I'll narrow it down for you. From previous Nolan films to other prestigious projects, here's why Benny Safdie, who plays Agamemnon in "The Odyssey," looks so familiar.

Ultimately, it's not that surprising that Benny Safdie found his way into the sprawling cast of "The Odyssey," because he was also part of the sprawling cast of Christopher Nolan's 2023 historical drama "Oppenheimer." In Nolan's Best Picture Oscar-winning ode to J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy, who picked up his own Oscar for his performance), the titular man struggles to comprehend the consequences of his own actions after he helps the United States government create the atomic bombs that are eventually dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, how does Safdie factor into narrative? 

Safdie portrays Edward Teller, another real historical figure who actually did work with Oppenheimer and is known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb." Because the real Teller hailed from Hungary, Safdie adopts an accent for the brilliant yet slyly funny Teller, and according to an interview he had with Vulture, he was very nervous about this aspect of the role. Nolan sent him interviews, and Safdie studied intensively. "Whenever Teller spoke, he was always kind of posturing, so we were trying to figure out what he sounds like when he's not performing in that way," Safdie explained. 

Beyond that, though, it feels like Safdie was almost meant to play Teller. "When I was young, I wanted to become a nuclear physicist. I had studied the standard model in high school," he told the outlet. "It actually is a deep passion of mine! So then, when [Nolan] asked me to play the part of Edward Teller, it was a no-brainer, because I knew who he was."

If you haven't seen "Oppenheimer," it's still possible you've seen Benny Safdie pop up in other stuff ... or, alternatively, you've seen one of the movies he's directed. Alongside his brother Josh, Safdie helmed films like "Good Time" (which stars his eventual co-star in "The Odyssey," Robert Pattinson, who appears as the evil suitor Antinous) and "Uncut Gems," the high-stress drama starring Adam Sandler in a rare dramatic role. In recent years, the Safdie brothers have parted ways; in 2025, Benny directed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in "The Smashing Machine," and Josh took on the Oscar-nominated Timothée Chalamet showcase "Marty Supreme."

As an actor, Safdie has appeared in a wide swath of projects. If you enjoyed Nathan Fielder's offbeat Showtime series "The Curse" with Emma Stone, you might remember Safdie as the producer of a fictional home improvement show; he also co-wrote the series with Fielder. Meanwhile, in the 2023 film adaptation of Judy Blume's seminal coming-of-age book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," Safdie plays the pivotal supporting role of Herb Simon, whose domineering but loving mother Sylvia (Kathy Bates) is horrified when he moves his wife Barbara and daughter Margaret (Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson) from Manhattan to suburban New Jersey. You can even spot Safdie in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" and the comedy sequel "Happy Gilmore 2" (which reunites him with his "Uncut Gems" star Sandler) or hear him as Bowser Jr. in the animated "Super Mario" movies.

"The Odyssey," which, again, features Safdie as Agamemnon, is in theaters now.