Anne Hathaway to campaign in supporting actress category for Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'

The studio's decision settles speculation over whether Hathaway would compete in the lead or supporting category, while establishing Matt Damon, who portrays Odysseus, as the film's sole lead acting contender. Hathaway will campaign alongside co-star Samantha Morton, who has received widespread acclaim for her performance as Circe.

The move also gives Universal Pictures an opportunity to secure two Supporting Actress nominations for the same film, with both Hathaway and Morton expected to be part of the studio's awards push, despite competing against each other in the category, according to Variety.

Hathaway previously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her performance as Fantine in Les Miserables. Industry observers believe her latest campaign could benefit from Christopher Nolan's strong awards track record following the success of Oppenheimer, which won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards, according to Variety.

The Odyssey, Nolan's latest directorial venture, has emerged as a major commercial success, grossing more than USD 1.6 billion worldwide, strengthening Universal's broader awards campaign for the film.

Campaigning Hathaway in the supporting category also places her in what is currently viewed as a less crowded race than Best Actress, where Academy Award winner Julianne Moore is among the prominent contenders for her performance in The Debut, according to Variety.

If Hathaway were to win a second Academy Award, she would become only the third woman in Oscar history to win the Supporting Actress prize twice, joining Dianne Wiest and Shelley Winters. Should 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, as per the outlet.

The Odyssey caps a prolific year for Hathaway. Earlier this year, she starred in A24's Mother Mary, followed by her return as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2 alongside Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt, with the sequel earning USD 691 million globally. She also featured in Warner Bros.' "The End of Oak Street" and will next appear in Michael Showalter's thriller Verity, opposite Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett. Hathaway also serves as a producer on the film, according to Variety.

Universal is mounting an extensive Oscar campaign for The Odyssey, seeking nominations across major categories, including Best Picture and several technical awards. Alongside Damon in the Lead Actor race and Hathaway and Morton in Supporting Actress, veterans John Leguizamo and Robert Pattinson are also expected to be campaigned in the Supporting Actor category.

If the film secures multiple acting nominations across categories, it would 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. (ANI)