Colombian actor John Leguizamo and his contribution as Eumaeus in ‘The Odyssey’
As one of the “most important roles,” The Hollywood Reporter described the character of Eumaeus in Christopher Nolan‘s ‘The Odyssey’. He is portrayed by Colombian actor John Leguizamo, whose performance has been described by critics, according to The New York Times, as impressive and moving. Experts consulted by that newspaper highlight that the Bogota-born actor’s performance serves as the moral heart of the film, and they praise how he managed to captivate audiences and steal the spotlight despite his brief appearances.
Eumaeus in Homer’s epic is Odysseus’ loyal blind servant and swineherd. He is his hospitable, pious, and faithful slave, and a key figure in Odysseus’ reclaiming of the throne of Ithaca. But he also represented an acting challenge for Leguizamo in Nolan’s blockbuster film. In that movie, the Colombian actor experienced his own odyssey to measure up to the rest of the cast, which includes Matt Damon (Odysseus), Anne Hathaway (Penelope), Tom Holland (Telemachus), Robert Pattinson (Antinous), Samantha Morton (Circe), and Zendaya (Athena).
Leguizamo faces one of the greatest challenges of his career
According to Caryn James of the BBC, the cast included several top-tier actors willing to accept smaller roles just to work with Nolan. “Compared with Odysseus’ role, they are all relatively supporting parts, but performed with great passion,” she says, while highlighting Leguizamo’s performance, describing it as “moving.”
It is no surprise. It is the result of a career that began in the 1980s, eventually making him one of the most important Latino faces in Hollywood.
That experience allowed him to face one of the greatest physical challenges of his career. To portray Eumaeus, Leguizamo underwent long makeup sessions during which prosthetics, wrinkles, age spots, bleached hair, and special contact lenses that simulated the cataracts of the blind character Nolan wanted to create were applied. The detail in his eyes meant that the Colombian actor spent between 12 and 14 hours a day virtually blind during filming.
“I couldn’t see my phone. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t make calls. My other eye couldn’t see well either. I couldn’t see,” Leguizamo told Entertainment Tonight. “They had to take me to the bathroom, bring me back, take me to eat.” Added to that was the fact that, in the middle of winter, he had to perform wearing light garments inspired by Ancient Greece in extremely low temperatures at the natural filming locations in Sicily and Morocco.
“I was losing my mind because it was so cold and we were wearing those little tunics,” Leguizamo added in the same interview. “Nolan saw that I was freezing and gave me his coat.” He acknowledged that Nolan noticed he was completely frozen and decided to take off his own coat to cover him while they prepared the next take.
Expectations for “The Odyssey”
With his work, Leguizamo contributed to the results Nolan’s film is achieving. In its second weekend in theaters, it exceeded expectations by grossing an estimated US$87 million, according to the first figures from specialized Hollywood media, cited by Forbes Colombia.
Attention is now focused on whether ‘The Odyssey’ will surpass the US$1 billion mark at the box office and become the highest-grossing film of Nolan’s career. So far, ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ are the director’s only films to have exceeded that threshold, although the latter still holds the record with worldwide box office earnings of US$1.08 billion in 2012, the same outlet adds.
‘The Odyssey’ premiered on July 17, just two weeks ago, and expectations remain high regarding how it will navigate the turbulent waters of critics and audiences. Its producers and filmmakers are confident that, with a first-rate cast that includes Leguizamo, the film will fulfill their expectations.
Leguizamo’s artistic career began in the 1980s, when he alternated stand-up comedy performances with small television roles. International recognition came in the 1990s through films such as ‘Carlito’s Way’, ‘Romeo + Juliet’, ‘Spawn’, and ‘Moulin Rouge!’, as well as his participation in the successful animated ‘Ice Age’ franchise, in which he voiced Sid the sloth.
He has also appeared in productions such as ‘John Wick’, ‘Chef’, ‘Encanto’, and ‘When They See Us’, further demonstrating his impressive versatility in taking on dramatic, action, and comedy roles.
His career has also flourished on stage, with one-man shows such as ‘Mambo Mouth’, ‘Spic-O-Rama’, ‘Freak’, ‘Sexaholix… A Love Story’, ‘Ghetto Klown’, and ‘Latin History for Morons’. In those productions, he has combined humor, personal experiences, and reflections on Latino identity in the United States.
Simply by looking at that remarkable career, it is easy to understand why Nolan chose this Colombian actor to portray Eumaeus, a deeply dramatic character, in his Odyssey.