Earlier this year, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster movie, scored over $1 billion at the box office. The movie has an amazing, almost entirely A-list cast, outstanding performances and an unforgettable cinematic experience.
The Odyssey is an adaptation of one of the most famous Greek mythologies written by Homer. The story follows Odysseus’s 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. The movie takes us through the challenges, triumphs, and discoveries Odysseus makes as he fights to return home to his wife Penelope.
From the first whispers about the movie, people have been excited for the adaptation. People were not only looking forward to seeing this adaptation on their local IMAX big screens, but also to see another Christopher Nolan film. To top it all off, the cast includes powerhouses like Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and more.
Upon The Odyssey’s release, many speculated that the cast would be an inaccurate depiction of what the movie was actually about. Many were concerned that these actors didn’t fit the character description in the original story. Despite all of the concerns, there is another issue that has been largely overlooked.
The original Odyssey only had one blind character, the cyclops. In Nolan’s adaptation they added another blind character, Eumaeus. In the original story Eumaeus was Odysseus’s loyal friend who waited upon his return, and he wasn’t visually impaired. Nolan decided to make him blind in the movie, and according to him, it was in dedication to the poet Homer himself as he was visually impaired.
Although it was a thoughtful dedication, there are a few issues that were left unnoticed. The problem starts off with how blind characters are typically represented in film and television. They are often represented in an inaccurate light because no one really knows or understands blindness. Everyone thinks blindness means that you can’t see anything at all, when in reality, blindness is a spectrum. What’s worse is the way people treat blind people based on false assumptions.
John Leguizamo, who played Eumaeus in the film had an interview with Entertainment Tonight. In his interview, he was asked about his experience playing a blind character. He emphasizes that he was temporarily blind in both eyes for 12-14 hours while on set.
Leugizamo stated in the interview, “I had to be taken to the bathroom. I had to be brought back. I had to be taken to eat. And when I was alone I just had to be inside my head because that's all I had.”
Although he meant well and didn't have bad intentions describing his experience on set, it was still an inaccurate representation of blindness. Especially being such an influential public figure, the way he describes his experience being blind is very harmful because it sets false standards. Saying that he had nothing but his thoughts gives such a dark impression of blindness, and an inaccurate one. People who are blind are perfectly capable of living fulfilling and exciting lives.
In Hollywood, there is this general notion that having a blind actor on set is unsafe and can lead to dangerous situations. This case proves otherwise. Because Leguizamo is not blind, he doesn't have experience being blind. He hasn't had life experience to adapt to it. People who are blind know exactly what they need and how they should be accommodated. People who are blind know how to scan the room and learn to be in it. They know how to communicate their safety needs while perhaps still acting circles around you.
As a visually impaired person myself who works in the film industry, I have first-hand experience of the remarkable superpower my visual impairment gave me. I know how to really listen to others and I’ve adapted a sixth sense that makes me even better at my job. Blind people are intuitive and have creative imaginations. You don’t need vision to have a vision.
If Hollywood started hiring blind actors to play blind characters, the world would have a better time appreciating blindness, and blind creatives would get the accurate representation they deserve. Blindness adds so much more than it takes away, sighted people just don’t know how to see it.
I think the next revolution in Hollywood is hiring blind actors to play blind characters. Because if we are all about representation and equal opportunity, we have to actually give equal opportunity, not just talk about it.
