Universal backs Hathaway in supporting for Nolan's Odyssey
Universal Pictures will campaign Anne Hathaway in supporting actress for her performance as Penelope in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, settling an early awards-season question.
Variety learned exclusively of the studio's decision, as reported on 21 September 2026. Category placement is decided by the studio. It tells awards voters where to consider a performance on the ballot, in lead or in support.
Hathaway plays Penelope, the wife holding home ground in Nolan's retelling of the Greek epic, according to the same report. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus. Tom Holland plays their son Telemachus, and Samantha Morton plays Circe.
The call ends weeks of debate about where Hathaway belonged. Variety had earlier described her Penelope as the first great category question of the Oscar season, in a piece published 24 July 2026. Penelope is central to the myth. Her screen time sits apart from Damon's voyage, which left room for either a lead or supporting push.
Hathaway knows this race. She won the supporting actress Oscar in 2013 for playing Fantine in Les Misérables, as noted in the September report. Morton is a two-time Oscar nominee, for In America and Sweet and Lowdown.
The film gives Universal plenty to work with. The Odyssey has crossed $1.6 billion worldwide, as reported on 21 September 2026. It is Nolan's first film since Oppenheimer, which won best picture and best director.
Hathaway arrives with a crowded release slate of her own. She returned as Andy Sachs opposite Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has grossed $691 million worldwide, according to the same report. She plays suburban mother Denise Platt in Warner Bros.' 1982-set creature adventure The End of Oak Street. She will next star in the title role in Michael Showalter's Verity, opposite Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, which opens on 2 Oct.
What makes this stand out is timing. A clear category call lets the studio start screenings, adverts and voter events with a simple message. For fans, this means Hathaway will be competing with ensemble players rather than head-to-head with the season's leading women.
