Hollywood ageism kept Samantha Morton from a project after The Odyssey, she says
The Odyssey star Samantha Morton says there’s a blunt reason she hasn’t booked an acting role since filming Christopher Nolan’s epic — and it says plenty about Hollywood.
On the latest episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Samantha Morton said she hasn’t booked a new acting job since wrapping Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey nearly a year ago — and she pointed to Hollywood’s treatment of older women as a big reason why.
“I’ve got really good agents and a manager, but at the end of the day, I’m 49,”
Morton said Nolan’s decision to cast her helped restore her confidence that strong work can still be recognized, but added that the industry’s shifting dynamics have made it harder to land parts. She described pushing through on faith and persistence while acknowledging that actors ultimately rely on filmmakers who believe in them.
Circe in Nolan’s epic
In The Odyssey, Morton plays Circe, the formidable sorceress of Greek myth — a meaty, complex role inside what she called one of the biggest projects of her career. In Homer’s tale, Circe first bewitched Odysseus’ crew before becoming a crucial ally, and Morton is part of what’s been described as a star-studded ensemble around that story.
A two-time Academy Award nominee, Morton has been a fixture for decades across indies, studio films, and TV. Her credits include:
- Sweet and Lowdown
- In America
- Minority Report
- The Walking Dead
- The Whale
Despite that track record, Morton said the calls have slowed since The Odyssey wrapped, and she believes ageism is a key factor. She told the podcast she intends to keep at it — and hopes the right opportunities follow.