Anne Hathaway’s Oscar Comeback: Why ‘The Odyssey’ Is Putting Penelope in the Supporting Actress Race

Anne Hathaway is back in the Oscar conversation, and this time she is heading into the race as Penelope. Universal Pictures will campaign the Academy Award-winning actor in the Supporting Actress category for her role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, putting her in contention for a second win in the category she claimed for Les Misérables in 2013.

The studio’s decision, confirmed by representatives to Variety, settles speculation over whether Hathaway would compete in the lead or supporting category. It also gives Universal an interesting awards-season proposition: two actresses from the same film, Hathaway and Samantha Morton, are being positioned in the Supporting Actress race.

Morton, who plays Circe, has also received acclaim for her performance, according to Variety. Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, will be the film’s sole Lead Actor contender.

For Hathaway, the campaign brings a familiar awards ambition into a new cinematic world. For Universal, it is part of a wider push to turn The Odyssey’s commercial success into recognition across the Academy Awards’ major categories.

Why is Anne Hathaway campaigning for Supporting Actress for ‘The Odyssey’?

Universal’s decision places Hathaway in the Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of Penelope, rather than in the lead race. The category choice is significant because it puts her alongside Morton, giving the studio the opportunity to pursue two nominations from the same film.

The move also brings Hathaway back into a category where she has already made Oscar history for herself. In 2013, she won Best Supporting Actress for playing Fantine in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables. A second win would add another major milestone to her awards career.

According to Variety, Hathaway’s campaign could benefit from Christopher Nolan’s awards track record following Oppenheimer, which won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. The director’s previous success provides context for Universal’s broader campaign, though it does not guarantee nominations for the new film.

The Supporting Actress category is also viewed as less crowded than Best Actress, where Julianne Moore is among the prominent contenders for her performance in The Debut, according to the outlet.

For Hathaway, the campaign is therefore about more than returning to the Oscars. It places her in a category where a second victory would carry a particular distinction.

Could Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton both get Oscar nominations for ‘The Odyssey’?

Universal is expected to campaign both Hathaway and Morton in Supporting Actress, creating the possibility of two nominations from the same film in one category.

Hathaway plays Penelope, while Morton portrays Circe. Their performances occupy different roles in Nolan’s epic, but the studio’s campaign will place them in direct competition for recognition within the same Oscar category.

The strategy could give The Odyssey a broader presence in the acting races, alongside Damon’s campaign in Lead Actor and the expected Supporting Actor campaigns for John Leguizamo and Robert Pattinson.

If the film secures multiple acting nominations across categories, it could join a select group of films in Academy Awards history to achieve multiple acting nominations in more than one acting category during the same awards season, according to Variety.

For now, however, the studio’s campaign plans are not the same as confirmed nominations. The eventual outcome will depend on the Academy’s selections.

What would a second Supporting Actress Oscar mean for Anne Hathaway?

Hathaway’s previous win makes the campaign especially notable. She won the Supporting Actress Oscar in 2013 for her performance as Fantine in Les Misérables. If she wins the same prize again, she would become only the third woman in Oscar history to do so, joining Dianne Wiest and Shelley Winters.

The report also points to a possible milestone involving Julianne Moore. If both Hathaway and Moore win acting Oscars this year, they would become the first two women since 1995 to each earn a second Academy Award in the same ceremony, according to Variety.

These are conditional possibilities rather than established outcomes. Hathaway’s category placement sets up the campaign, but the nomination and winner announcements remain to come.

How does ‘The Odyssey’ fit into Anne Hathaway’s busy 2026?

The Oscar campaign arrives in a particularly busy year for Hathaway, who has moved between original projects, a major franchise sequel and a new thriller.

Earlier this year, she starred in A24’s Mother Mary. She then returned as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2, alongside Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. The sequel has reportedly grossed $691 million worldwide.

Hathaway also appeared in Warner Bros.’ The End of Oak Street. Her next project is Michael Showalter’s thriller Verity, opposite Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. She also serves as a producer on the film, according to Variety.

The The Odyssey campaign adds another high-profile project to that run, this time with Hathaway seeking recognition for a role in Nolan’s epic.

How far could Universal’s Oscar campaign for ‘The Odyssey’ go?

Universal is pursuing nominations across major categories for The Odyssey, including Best Picture and several technical awards. The acting campaign is one part of a broader effort to secure recognition for the film.

The reported worldwide box office of more than $1.6 billion gives the epic considerable commercial visibility as it enters the awards conversation. Alongside Hathaway and Morton in Supporting Actress, Damon is being positioned in Lead Actor, while Leguizamo and Pattinson are expected to be campaigned in Supporting Actor.

Nolan’s success with Oppenheimer is another part of the context, although each awards season brings its own competition and voting decisions.

For Hathaway, the campaign returns her to the Supporting Actress race more than a decade after her Oscar-winning turn in Les Misérables. For Universal, it creates an opportunity to pursue multiple acting nominations while making a wider case for The Odyssey across the Academy Awards.

Penelope may be at the centre of Hathaway’s latest awards-season chapter, but whether the campaign ends with another statuette is still an open question.

With inputs from ANI.