Samantha Morton Faces a Year-Long Work Hiatus After “The Odyssey”

Samantha Morton, the two-time Oscar-nominated actress, disclosed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that she has not taken on any acting work for an entire year since wrapping production on Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in 2025.

Variety Magazine

Morton’s career began in 1991 and includes high-profile projects such as Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report,” the television series “The Walking Dead,” and acclaimed indie dramas that earned her Oscar nominations for “Sweet and Lowdown” and “In America.” In the same interview, she linked her current employment gap to the “politics of the industry” and the scarcity of substantial parts for actresses approaching fifty, describing the situation as an age-related shift in casting practices.

Variety Magazine

Although she remains without on-screen work, Morton has been attached to two forthcoming productions. In April, Deadline reported her casting as the lead in the rescue thriller “Love and War,” directed by Lisa Mulcahy, who will co-write the script with Elisabeth Gooch. She is also slated to appear in Amazon’s crime series “Dirty,” playing legendary Detective Chief Inspector Lois Mercer opposite Phoebe Dynevor’s trainee detective.

Deadline Hollywood

She also reflected on being replaced in Spike Jonze’s “Her,” where her original voice work for the AI character was substituted with Scarlett Johansson’s performance in post-production, describing the experience as “sad” and “hurtful.”

Variety Magazine

• “I haven’t worked for a year since making The Odyssey,” — Samantha Morton

Deadline Hollywood

• “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,” — Samantha Morton

Variety Magazine

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

Variety Magazine

• “I have to say, I think my version of Samantha was very… she’s English,” — Samantha Morton

Deadline Hollywood