Ralph Fiennes is known for his masterful acting, directing, producing…and now his jacked muscles? The legendary English actor is getting attention not only for his acting prowess, but also for his toned physique in his new role as Greek hero Odysseus in The Return. His change in appearance will no doubt be a surprise to audiences who most recently saw Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in Edward Berger’s Conclave, where he wore modest robes for much of the film. But now the two-time Academy Award nominee is in a completely different world of bare chests and loin cloths in Ancient Greece, and it has the internet swooning over the Maid in Manhattan hunk.
While his portfolio certainly suggests his forte is playing the villain, the Voldemort actor seems to perfectly embody the iconic hero Odysseus in The Return. The chosen TIFF feature is co-written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini, who just this year released Nowhere Special. Fiennes stars alongside Juliette Binoche, Odysseus’ wife Penelope, in the mythic retelling. You can check out the newly released trailer and official synopsis for The Return below:
“After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed — scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past — but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all he has lost.”
Ralph Fiennes Explains His Costume, or Lack Thereof, in The Return
Fiennes told IndieWire about his experience slipping into the loincloth of the Greek hero of legend. The epic saga hails from Bleecker Street and focuses on Odysseus’ return, hence the name, after the events of Homer’s classic story The Odyssey. The hero returns home after decades of treacherous travel and no longer resembles the noble king he was before he left.
“The script did away with monsters. It was the end of ‘The Odyssey,’ and there’s no goddess Athena to help Odysseus look pretty and give him a fuller head of hair or make him more useful. So we embrace the idea that he is a man after 20 years of travel, 10 years at war, 20 years lost. He’s washed up naked, with nothing. He’s given a blanket. All I wear is one red piece of cloth I wrapped around me in different ways, and a loin cloth.”
Since the film opts for a more realistic retelling of the end of the king of Ithaca’s story, the production team wanted to capture how weathered and rugged Fiennes’s character would be upon his return. This includes the lack of proper clothing, which should suitably show off Fiennes’ abs on the big screen as the actor transforms himself into a hardened, world-weary warrior.
The Return
hits theaters December 6.