One of the wonders of modern filmmaking is the stories that can be brought to life visually after decades, if not centuries, of people loving a story.
From Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” there has been an endless flood of book to movie adaptations that have been released and adored.
Though it’s argued the book is always better than its TV versions, some have come close, and for fans of the original who want more it can always be something to look forward to when a big name standalone or series is taken on by a notable director.
For instance, Christopher Nolan’s latest film to debut in 2027 will bring the ancient Greek poem “The Odyssey” to the silver screen. News of Nolan’s next big film after “Oppenheimer” started taking over the internet in 2024, and like his long list of successful films like “Dunkirk” and “Inception,” “The Odyssey” will release in July of 2027.
However, a lot of this buzz shifted to the negative side when the official cast list was dropped which included a star-studded line up of actors from across Hollywood. This included Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth and many more. Though not all the roles have been named, fans have their suspicions on who will take on which part besides Holland’s place as Telemachus and Damon’s lead as Odysseus.
Criticisms bloomed because of the debate on who can and can’t accurately play a role in a period piece purely because of image. The term “iPhone face” or “smartphone face” arose in the last few years, which is a complexion said to change the accuracy of a film and take the audience out of the environment the story is supposed to create.
“The term—though technically applicable to any smartphone—has become shorthand for the ultra-symmetrical, hyper-groomed and distinctly modern features that some actors bring to period dramas,” said Natalie Viebrock, a writer for the Queen’s University Journal.
In her article, Viebrock was defining the term in its reference to the book and Prime Video series, “Daisy Jones & the Six,” which follows a band in the late 70s and 80s. One of the main female leads, Camila Alvarez, who was portrayed by Camila Morrone, got some feedback from fans on social media that she had too modern of a face to take on this 20-year-old in 1977 look.
Other actors put in the hot seat for the same reason include Timothée Chalamat, Halle Bailey and Dakota Johnson for their past period piece roles, but since Nolan’s cast release speculation on if celebrity couple Tom Holland and Zendaya will receive the same treatment has come to light.
Though I think a certain look is crucial for the authenticity of a film, I don’t think actors should be completely ruled out just because they have a more modern look. Plenty of actors change their entire appearance, from prosthetics to wigs, to fit this idea of what a character should look like because though visually they might not fit the character, their talent and character building is perfect for the adaptation.
That being said, could Nolan and the casting directors have chosen some lesser known actors that would have done just as great a job and looked a bit more fitting? Did they make some of these casting choices for the sake of viewership?
All of the actors on the lineup have a discography and career worthy of getting a role in such a prestigious film and Nolan is famous enough to not need a big name to draw people into the theaters. But the repetition of popular actors in big name films isn’t unnoticed in the 2025 movie scene and even from the popular actor pool, some people have been named period piece fanatics for their vintage looks.
Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan are just a couple women of Hollywood said to be the perfect match for a piece from the past, with the looks that fit in a proper ball gown and a grass field like their roles in “Little Woman.” Similarly with Matthew Macfadyen in “Pride & Prejudice” or Russel Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix in “Gladiator,” there wasn’t a thought from the audience that their appearances brought them out of the theater and film experience.
A great example of period piece casting as a whole can even be found in the Netflix Series “Bridgerton,” based off of Julia Quinn’s regal romance novels.
But again, costuming and set plays a huge role in the foundation for a recreation like this, and though harsh critiques may say the right face is crucial for the success of the story telling, there really is so much more to a period piece than casting.