John Leguizamo plays Eumaeus, an old and blind swineherd loyal to Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Screen Time gives the 49th Denver Film Festival a Melodious Thumbs Up for honoring John Leguizamo with the 2026 John Cassavetes Award
Screen Time with Melodie Miller is a review column that looks beyond the trailer and connects audiences to movie perspectives.
The 49th Denver Film Festival presented John Leguizamo with its highest honor, the John Cassavetes Award on Oct. 30. The ceremony took place before the screening of director and writer Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” at the Sturm Infinity Theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The festival presents the award each year to an artist who has made a significant contribution to filmmaking.
Cassavetes, often called the father of American independent film, was a writer, actor and director. The award was created in 1989, in coordination with Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes’ widow, and the Denver Film Festival, as a symbol honoring those working in film who display an independent spirit.
“John Cassavetes was a pioneer, especially in independent film,” Leguizamo said. “He just stuck to his guns and did films the way he wanted to, which is outside the studio system. So, I have huge respect for him.”
From left, Denver Film Artistic Director Matthew Campbell, John Leguizamo and Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith pose with the John Cassavetes Award at the Sturm Infinity Theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. (Melodie Miller | CU Independent)
According to Denver Film Artistic Director Matthew Campbell, Leguizamo’s career is “defined by fearless performances, incredible range and an independent spirit.”
Leguizamo said that Denver helped nurture his career and writing and that he was honored to receive the John Cassavetes Award.
“Oh, my God, it’s incredible to be here in Denver and to receive the highest honor,” Leguizamo said. “Denver is such a great city. I treasure the city.”
Leguizamo, who plays Eumaeus in “The Odyssey,” was in Denver not only to accept the award but also to introduce the screening of the film starring Matt Damon as Odysseus. He told the audience he feels it is the most important film he has been a part of.
Before filming of “The Odyssey” began, Leguizamo met Nolan for lunch in New York to discuss the film. Leguizamo said he did not know what Nolan wanted him to play, but he was interested in a role.
“No one was allowed to read the script,” Leguizamo said. “He told me I was doing the Odyssey, which was really exciting.”
Leguizamo said working with Nolan, whom he called “one of the greatest living directors of our time,” would be a game changer. He said he knew it would be an interesting challenge, but he was ready for the opportunity because he would be working with Nolan.
John Leguizamo, who plays Eumaeus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” poses at the world premiere on July 6 at the Odeon Lux Leicester Square in London, England. (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
“He said I was gonna be playing Eumaeus, the most loyal character in Western literature,” Leguizamo said. “Then he told me I was gonna be blind and then he told me I was gonna be old.”
Leguizamo laughed as he said he told Nolan, “Matt Damon is looking all handsome and strong with guns,” or biceps, and there’s Tom Holland, and then there’s Leguizamo himself, old and wrinkled. Leguizamo said Nolan told him, “No, John, you’re going to have a lot of great lines. Great part. It’s going to be awesome.”
Leguizamo said he found it important to research the history of his character, Eumaeus, as well as Greek culture and older people. He created the character around that information, playing Eumaeus as a surrogate father figure to Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, played by Holland.
Leguizamo also asked a blind friend for permission to follow her in order to better understand his fictional disability.
“I did a lot of research,” Leguizamo said.
Charlize Theron, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya pose at the New York screening of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” on July 14 at AMC Lincoln Square. (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Leguizamo recalled that Homer’s “The Odyssey” is a story that has survived 3,000 years. No matter how much civilization changes and technology advances, human beings remain the same and “we’re still grappling with the same issues of war and divisiveness,” he said. He read the story in ninth grade, and it was powerful, but when he saw the film, it “was bigger and better” than he expected.
“When I saw the film for the first time, it was mind-boggling,” Leguizamo said. “I was in shock, it was so beautiful.”
In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus has been missing for ten years following the Trojan War and has finally found his way back to Ithaca. Leguizamo said that Damon’s final speech as Odysseus on the steps of his home, as he prepares to meet his wife, Penelope, was especially beautiful because Odysseus confesses his regrets and mistakes.
“His last speech is a summation of the totality of his life and it’s flawed,” Leguizamo said. “We all have to go at that moment at one time. We all have to do inventory at some point.”
The Greeks give a hollow wooden horse full of soldiers to the Trojans as an offering to the goddess Athena. The Greek army uses it to trick the Trojans and enter the fortified city of Troy in “The Odyssey.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Leguizamo said that Nolan worked closely with the actors. He would clear the set and stand beside the camera. In Morocco, Nolan even climbed into the Trojan horse.
From Sid the Sloth in the “Ice Age” films and the fiery Tybalt in “Romeo + Juliet” to the painter Toulouse-Lautrec in “Moulin Rouge!” Leguizamo has built a career on vastly different roles. His outstanding performance as Eumaeus in the epic film once again shows his rare ability to bring complexity and gravitas to the characters he plays.
“This was the most vulnerable I’ve ever, ever been in a film,” Leguizamo said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Melodie Miller at Melodie.Miller@colorado.edu.
