John Leguizamo says blind role on The Odyssey left him unable to see
John Leguizamo said contact lenses for The Odyssey left him unable to see for 12 to 14 hours a day while filming.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
John Leguizamo’s blind role in The Odyssey came with a rough on-set catch: the actor said he could not see for 12 to 14 hours a day while wearing contact lenses for Christopher Nolan’s new film.
Leguizamo, a Golden Globe nominee, plays Eumaeus, the blind servant of Odysseus, who is played by Matt Damon. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he said the lenses used for the part left him unable to use his phone, read or move around set on his own.
“Not being able to see for 12 to 14 hours a day, like I couldn’t see my phone, I couldn’t read, I couldn’t call,” Leguizamo told Entertainment Tonight. “My other eye wasn’t clear either. I could not see. I had to be taken to the bathroom, I had to be brought back. I had to be taken to eat.”
He also said the long stretches without sight left him stuck with his own thoughts between scenes. “When I was alone, I just had to be inside my head because that’s all I had,” he said. “Too much time with my own thoughts. It’s a dangerous thing.”
Who does John Leguizamo play in The Odyssey?
Leguizamo plays Eumaeus, described in the film as Odysseus’ blind servant. The role required him to wear contact lenses that affected his sight during long shooting days, according to his Entertainment Tonight interview.
The Odyssey, now playing in theaters, is Nolan’s screen version of the ancient Greek epic. The story follows Odysseus after the Trojan War as he faces trials and mythical encounters during a 10-year journey back to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus.
Damon leads the cast as Odysseus. Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, while Tom Holland plays Telemachus.
The film’s ensemble also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth and Travis Scott.
Leguizamo’s comments add one more very physical detail to the making of Nolan’s blockbuster. For his part, the actor’s transformation did not stop at costume or performance: by his own account, he spent much of the shooting day unable to see the set around him.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.