Samantha Morton Got Standing Ovation on Nolan's Odyssey Set — Like Heath Ledger on Dark Knight

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Christopher Nolan has said that one actor in his upcoming The Odyssey has been getting a similar reception to Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight. Samantha Morton, who plays goddess Circe in the new movie, received a round of applause on set, something that has only happened once before in Nolan's career.

"This was a massive film and she is someone who comes in and changes the dynamic," Nolan said to The L.A. Times . "In some weird way, the film lived or died over that character. She was the fulcrum. I’ve always admired Samantha's work, she brings so much depth of thinking about her role, there are no limitations on her performance.

"After one of her takes, the crew gave her a great round of applause. I was talking with Emma [Thomas, Nolan's producing partner and wife] afterwards and she remembered that the last time that had happened was with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight."

Ledger's legendary performance led to him receiving a posthumous Academy Award following his death in 2008.

Morton's screentime is relatively brief in The Odyssey but early reactions have been praising her performance. "You are not ready for Samantha Morton in The Odyssey," wrote Empire editor Nick de Semlyen . Meanwhile journalist Andrew J. Salazar tweeted that "Samantha Morton’s sequence in The Odyssey is perhaps the best of the entire film and we're going to be talking about it for years to come."

The Odyssey is based on Homer's epic of the same name and stars Matt Damon in the lead role as Odysseus. It follows the Greek king of Ithaca as he tries to find his way back home after the Trojan War.

The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.