While movie-goers might see Robert Pattinson’s character in The Odyssey as a villain, he would beg to differ. In the 2026 movie release, Antinous is one of the suitors with his eyes on the throne, left empty by absent war hero Odysseus (Matt Damon), and Penelope, Odysseus' wife. As Penelope (Anne Hathaway) waits for the return of her husband, Antinous is hoping for his moment to rise above the other suitors. But since taking over as the king of Ithaca would mean eliminating Odysseus and Penelope’s son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), it’s not surprising that she wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect.
Part of what makes Robert Pattinson so delightful is that every time he has a new project to promote, you never really know what he’s going to say, but it will likely be memorable. During the press tour for The Odyssey, Anne Hathaway called out his take on the villainous role but then agreed that he does actually make a good point. Talking to IGN, the British actor explained his defense of Antinous and why he sees him as a legitimate option for Penelope. You can hear him sell his point of view in the clip:
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No character is a villain to the actor portraying them, but listening to Robert Pattinson talk about Antinous feels like he’s recast his character in a comedy. In the interview, the Twilight actor calls out Penelope’s mixed signals and, in his defense, points out that she never asks him to leave at any point in the movie’s three-hour runtime.
However, he’s also previously and quite accurately called the character “the worst stepfather you could possibly have.” And that is easily understood when you consider how shallow Antinous is and the fact that he wants to kill Telemachus.
The Odyssey has been acclaimed by critics for its epic storytelling, which is well-deserved, but I can’t stop laughing at the way The Batman star has been talking about his despicable character. It’s a bit weird to think of Antinous as a good option for Penelope, but if anyone is going to champion the villain, it should be the actor playing him. Pattinson said:
I think I’m a pretty good option for Penelope too. I’m like legitimately saying, like, actually I want to help out. I have a calling. I have a calling to rule Ithaca. And you look at the other guys in the palace … You could do worse.
Ultimately, Damon’s character doesn’t die in the film, but his absence allows for plenty of time to watch Robert Pattinson enjoy being the bad guy. Antinous is the kind of villain that you love to hate because he knows the pain he’s causing but doesn’t care who gets hurt along the way.
But if you follow the actor’s take on the role, he’s the hero of his own story, just trying to win the girl. I know that I, for one, hope that Pattinson continues to take on villainous characters in his career, and that he continues to share his hilarious takes on them with us.
