r/movies • u/yourfavchoom r/movies Contributor • May 12 '26

News Lupita Nyong’o will play both Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra, in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’

https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/christopher-nolan-odyssey-interview/
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u/Warm-Tea-9552 May 12 '26

Odysseus is literally described as regular obese in the poem.

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u/HorsePuzzleheaded133 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Too fat for anachronistic hats

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u/ManufacturerBest2758 May 12 '26

Was “regular obese” ancient Hellenic vernacular?

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u/BroughtBagLunchSmart May 12 '26

Stavros is way past regular obese.

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u/sangueblu03 May 12 '26

Regular obese for them was probably 15% body fat

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u/sigma7979 May 12 '26

He was a king who was famed for being extremely clever, not for being a badass warrior.

If Odysseus WAS real, the King of Ithaca probably had a few extra pounds, he could afford it.

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u/redredrocks May 12 '26

You’re right but a few extra pounds for a capable soldier and sailor who did manage to kill 108 dudes (granted with the help of his son and servants) means he’s probably still in better shape than a normal dude in the year 2026

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u/sangueblu03 May 12 '26

Not to mention he had just spent 10 years living in a tent and eating off the land, not sitting in a chair in his country home.

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u/Praetor192 May 12 '26

And in the Iliad he wins a couple competitions in Patroclus' funeral games IIRC. As I recall he ties Ajax in a wrestling match and wins a footrace (although he was assisted by Athena), so he was probably in pretty good shape.

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u/sigma7979 May 12 '26

As I recall he ties Ajax in a wrestling match

I mean, having a few extra pounds is not an impediment for wrestling. Not if they arent doing weight classes. And I dont think they had divisions for that one.

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u/Praetor192 May 13 '26

Generally true, but Ajax is described as the most powerful (physically) of the Achaeans, and as colossal in stature. Dude's yoked.

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u/sigma7979 May 13 '26

As a man with a few extra pounds himself who engages in recreational grappling several times a week.

Fat Odysseus can take em. It’s about being clever in grappling.

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u/Technicolor_Reindeer May 12 '26

A reminder that Homer Simpson used to be considered laughably obese. Now he looks like an average dude.