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Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey” has spawned countless debates since its blockbuster release — over representation and historical accuracy and, at least in my friend group, whether Travis Scott has iPhone face. But another, albeit much more benign, question has emerged during the press cycle this week: can an actor convincingly play an Ancient Greek god in the presence of an Ugg slipper?
This is perhaps the first time you’ve seen those words strung together but Nolan has long banned Uggs from his sets. In an interview with Gayle King on Tuesday, he described the popular shoe as a “signifier of modernity” that “can actually weirdly take you out of reality.”
In the case of “The Odyssey,” it makes sense that Nolan may not have wanted Matt Damon’s Odysseus, running miles through Troy in sandals, to have the comfort of sheepskin slippers in the back of his mind. Penelope, too, would surely have appreciated Ugg’s signature plush lining during her 20-year wait in the palace of Ithaca, but it may have taken Anne Hathaway out of the moment.
Thankfully, in the modern world, one doesn’t have to be a queen to enjoy such luxuries. “Sometimes actors will turn up, because the footwear hurts them, in these big, fluffy, comfy slippers,” Nolan said, adding that his shoe ban has become a long-running joke with Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway — two Ugg devotees who have had to set aside their loyalties while working with the Oscar-winning director.
