Fresh Air Weekend: 'The Odyssey' translator Emily Wilson; Actor Jon Bernthal

NPR

Published August 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT

Classicist and translator Emily Wilson published a critical review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in the London Review of Books. Wilson has loved Greek myths since childhood and has translated both the Iliad and The Odyssey. She has tattoos of a spear on one leg and a bow on the other — she says they represent Achilles and Odysseus. — Classicist and translator Emily Wilson published a critical review of Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* in the *London Review of Books.* Wilson has loved Greek myths since childhood and has translated both the *Iliad* and *The Odyssey*. She has tattoos of a spear on one leg and a bow on the other — she says they represent Achilles and Odysseus.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from the past, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Odyssey translator Emily Wilson says Nolan shouldn't have written the movie himself: The renowned classics scholar caused a stir when her critical review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey went viral. Wilson explains her reaction to the film and why she's translating the poem again.

In Spider-Man, The Odyssey or The Bear, Jon Bernthal loves to "take it too far": "Our grit and our dedication is the one thing that we have control of," Bernthal says. He plays a Spartan king in The Odyssey, and reprises his role as the Punisher in the new Spider-Man film.

You can listen to the original interviews here: