‘The Odyssey’ breakout actress reveals she hasn’t worked in a year due to her age

According to Samantha Morton, ageism is alive and well in Hollywood.

The British actress, 49, is currently getting rave reviews for her performance as the sorcerer Circe in Christopher Nolan’s star-studded epic, “The Odyssey,” but said she hasn’t worked in a year because of her age.

“I haven’t worked for a year since making ‘The Odyssey,’ you know, and I’ve got really good agents and a manager, but at the end of the day, I’m 49,” she said on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast episode that dropped Monday.

“I do believe I’m a good actor, [but] there are other good actors out there. Do you know what I mean?” she added. “So, the politics of the industry has changed massively.”

Morton said that getting a role in “The Odyssey,” which wrapped filming in August 2025, was special because it not only allowed her to keep working, it also gave her the opportunity to work with Nolan.

“So what this means to me — regardless of carrying on working, which I feel confident with the ups and downs I will keep working until I’m in my 80s or whatever — but for me it’s more I got to work with Christopher Nolan in my lifetime,” she shared.

“That’s it. I’m happy now.”

The actress, who’s also worked with directors Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen, admitted, “I genuinely cried when I got the call from my team saying, ‘Christopher Nolan would like to meet you.’”

Morton reflected on what her role in the ensemble film means at this point in her life.

“Hope and faith that I suppose if you keep at it, and you keep producing good work and the right people see it, then maybe you can carry onward,” she shared.

Morton is now receiving awards season buzz for stealing the show playing a mythical witch in the film, which also stars A-listers Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

Morton, who’s been working since the ’90s, has already built an iconic career on screen. She won a Golden Globe in 2007 in the best supporting actress in a series, miniseries or television film category for her role in “Longford,” and received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2024 recognizing her outstanding career in film and television.

She’s been nominated for two Oscars — one for best supporting actress in 1999 for “Sweet and Lowdown” and one for best actress for “In America” in 2002.