{"id":952143,"date":"2026-07-22T16:12:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/952143\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T16:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:12:20","slug":"travis-scott-interview-the-odyssey-role-new-paramount-deal-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/952143\/","title":{"rendered":"Travis Scott Interview: The Odyssey Role, New Paramount Deal and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cI was nervous as fuck,\u201d Travis Scott<\/a> says.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s shocking coming from someone who just wrapped up the highest-grossing solo rap tour of all time, with raging crowds in the tens of thousands. But when Scott climbed atop a wooden table in an ancient castle on a remote Italian island to deliver some of the first lines in Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey<\/a>,\u201d he was freaked out. After all, it was the first shot of the day, and his audience included Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAll those actors were there, and I\u2019m standing on the table,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t like Travis rager shit, or we\u2019re kicking it at a function. No, this was some serious shit. There\u2019s a camera right here in my face. Nolan\u2019s right there. And they\u2019re all actors \u2014 so everyone\u2019s in their zone, locked in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGreg Swales for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tOn that day, on that table, Scott took a deep breath, raised his stave and went sicko mode: \u201cA war. A man. A trick. A trick to break the walls of Troy and burn it screaming to the ground,\u201d he bellowed, launching into the song of the hero, Odysseus, and his victory in the Trojan War.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn truth, it was also a bit of a test. \u201cI threw him into the deep end, with a cast of hundreds of extras, movie stars right there,\u201d Nolan tells me later, laughing, saying it was a conscious choice to put Scott\u2019s close-up at the top of that day\u2019s shoot. \u201cI said, \u2018OK, Travis, jump up on the table and start reciting the Song of Odysseus and hold the attention of the room.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tScott and Nolan\u2019s relationship began when the rapper, then 29, contributed the end-credits track for Nolan\u2019s 2020 film \u201cTenet.\u201d And he ultimately co-wrote the end-credits song,\u00a0 \u201cWhen I\u2019m Home,\u201d for \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d But that\u2019s not what Nolan called on him to do here. \u201cHe\u2019s a performer, but it is a very different thing to come as an actor,\u201d the director explains. \u201cI was very clear with Travis that I wasn\u2019t hiring him as a musician.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen adapting Homer\u2019s nearly 2,700-year-old poem for the Imax screen, Nolan realized he needed to make the story accessible for today\u2019s audiences and struck on the notion that rappers carry on the tradition of oral storytelling that poets did in ancient Greece. \u201cI wanted somebody on-screen who would be reciting words and holding attention in the room in a very credible way, that we can relate to in today\u2019s world, so that we would understand the drama and the emotion that comes from storytelling through poetry,\u201d Nolan explains. \u201cIf you view it in rarefied terms, if you elevate it and have some very formal version of what a bard in the palace of Ithaca might be, I would find that alienating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBefore reading Nolan\u2019s script, Scott was already familiar with Homer\u2019s poem. He first read \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d when he was a kid named Jacques Bermon Webster II growing up on the outskirts of Houston. His paternal grandmother, Bernice Webster, who was an English professor, assigned it to him as part of his summer reading curriculum. \u201cThat summer, she made me do an essay on the book, and I did some CliffsNotes bullshit,\u201d he says, laughing. \u201cI got a whoopin\u2019 because I lied about reading it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tToday, Scott\u2019s grandma feels pretty pleased with herself. \u201cShe\u2019s like, \u2018See? That\u2019s why I made you read that book; now you\u2019re in this movie,\u2019\u201d Scott says, beaming. \u201cIt\u2019s actually crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLast week, Scott posted a text from his momma, Wanda Webster, making plans to take Grandma Bernice and Grandma Sealie Wood, his maternal grandmother, to see the film. \u201cI might shut down a movie theater and invite my whole family and have them come,\u201d Scott says. (His kids, Stormi, 8, and Aire, 4, with ex Kylie Jenner are probably too young for the R-rated adventure, no matter how classic.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA sit-down\u201d isn\u2019t exactly the best descriptor for the experience of interviewing Travis Scott; as we talk after a photo shoot in midtown Manhattan, he never stops moving. His legs are far too long for the low-slung coach, so he keeps adjusting his posture and fiddling with the zipper on the accent pillow. It\u2019s a Sunday afternoon, and he\u2019ll soon be heading uptown to see Jay-Z perform at Yankee Stadium, so one can forgive him for being a little antsy. Throughout the chat, the \u201cHighest in the Room\u201d hitmaker puffs on a blunt, putting it down only when he gets animated about a given subject and needs both hands to illustrate his point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThirty minutes earlier, he was staring down the barrel of the photographer\u2019s lens while rocking a sleek Herm\u00e8s suit on a boiling-hot rooftop in NoMad. It\u2019s hard not to get goose bumps when he hits a supermodel pose while his psychedelic rap-trap track \u201cGoosebumps\u201d plays on a portable speaker. When he turns in profile, it\u2019s clear why Nolan wanted to capture his visage on Imax film: He looks every bit a movie star.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGreg Swales for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tNow we\u2019re tucked away in his dressing room: He\u2019s taken off his Rick Owen shades and thrown on baggy sweatpants and a faded Oasis T-shirt that offsets his chunky gold and diamond chains, and he\u2019s geeking out over the 1979 film \u201cThe Warriors,\u201d one of his favorites, about a street gang who must escape from the Bronx back to their home turf after being framed for the murder of a respected gang leader. \u201cThey\u2019re like war heroes for peace,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tScott\u2019s role in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d represents the next mountain the 10-time Grammy nominee\u00a0 will climb as part of a larger journey to becoming a big-screen power player. As we speak, the ink is drying on Scott\u2019s first-look deal at Paramount<\/a> Pictures, the latest move for his \u00fcber-successful company, Cactus Jack.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCreativity emanates from every pore of his body,\u201d Paramount Pictures co-chair Josh Greenstein says, \u201cfrom the way he dresses to the cars to the music to his taste in film.\u201d (\u201cThe Warriors\u201d was how Scott and Greenstein bonded when they met to discuss expanding the brand\u2019s imprint at the historic Hollywood studio, along with Cactus Jack manager and GM David Stromberg.)<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the past decade, nearly everything Scott has touched has turned to gold. What began in 2017 as a record label and music publishing company that represents some of the hottest names in rap, like Sheck Wes and Don Toliver, has evolved into a veritable ecosystem around Scott\u2019s artistic and commercial endeavors. Cactus Jack\u2019s consumer-products arm has collaborated with Nike and Jordan; \u201cFortnite\u201d; luxury brands Saint Laurent, Dior and Audemars Piguet; and Hot Wheels, Reese\u2019s Puffs and McDonald\u2019s. Cactus Jack has also partnered with Paramount on consumer products \u2014 their limited-edition \u201cSpongeBob SquarePants\u201d and \u201cScream\u201d apparel drops sold out almost instantly.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new deal expands that partnership, giving Scott the freedom to develop projects ranging from film and TV productions to theater and other experiential endeavors, all tapping into Cactus Jack\u2019s global cultural influence. \u201cI want to bring back amazing films, pictures and just creative good ideas. And [Paramount\u2019s] not scared to make good ideas,\u201d Scott says. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tScott realized long ago that music and film occupy the same space, but this endeavor formalizes that idea. \u201cI was spending so much on music videos that they were like independent film budgets, and I wanted to figure out how we could make better use of that,\u201d he says. \u201cHow can we take long-lasting ideas and structure to make them better than those three to four minutes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the same time, the studio was shaping its next chapter, a key element of which is attracting younger audiences to movie theaters. At present, no artist connects with their fandom like Scott does. His \u201cCircus Maximus Tour\u201d lasted two and a half years, and the 2.2 million tickets sold brought in $265 million.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHis taste level moves culture. How many people can you say that about?\u201d Greenstein says. \u201cEverything he touches becomes culture, and that\u2019s a superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tParamount teased their evolving relationship with Scott in a star-studded and Tom Cruise-narrated reel that debuted at CinemaCon earlier this year. As Cruise promises the studio is looking to promote \u201cfresh new perspectives,\u201d the camera does a barrel roll to reveal an iced-out Scott. His security stands in front of four chocolate brown luxury cars (it\u2019s Cactus Jack\u2019s signature color) parked in front of one of Paramount\u2019s soundstages. Scott boards a golfcart (that\u2019s also wrapped in brown hue), then his assistant jumps into the back, with his arms full of pink Goyard luggage, and they zip across the lot.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott doesn\u2019t have a slate of projects in development at the studio yet, but he describes a genre he\u2019d like to explore: \u201cThe illest shit right now is it\u2019s almost like scary movies aren\u2019t scary anymore; they\u2019re exciting dramas. These dark thrillers where nothing scary happens till the end. It\u2019s all suspense and buildup, good writing and maybe a cast you don\u2019t even know, but you\u2019re just so dialed in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGreg Swales for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s talking about movies like the Japanese chiller \u201cExit 8,\u201d but the last film he caught in the cinema was \u201cMichael.\u201d Would he make a biopic about himself?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDefinitely, he says. \u201cI would do \u2018Entourage\u2019 again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBack to \u201cThe Warriors\u201d for a second: Scott is aware Lin-Manuel Miranda is bringing the Paramount classic to Broadway next spring, but he\u2019d be up to craft his own remake. \u201cThat would actually be kind of crazy,\u201d Scott says, the wheels in his head visibly turning. \u201cBut I\u2019ve been thinking, \u2018Is that like a show? Or is it a movie again?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s particularly passionate about the theatrical experience, which makes Paramount a good home for his future work. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to have the streaming and all, but keep movie theaters alive. There\u2019s nothing more enjoyable than being like, \u2018Hey, y\u2019all want to go to the movies?\u2019 \u201cEverything\u2019s becoming so lazy and couch potato, like, \u2018Y\u2019all want to go to the house and chill?\u2019 That\u2019s cool too, but it\u2019s like, \u2018Yo, let\u2019s get out. Let\u2019s breathe air. Let\u2019s touch grass,\u2019\u201d Scott says, putting down his blunt as he grows exasperated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd then the thing is, these people spend so much time sound designing, and y\u2019all\u2019s cribs don\u2019t even have home theater systems. So why are we fucking disrespecting the sound designers and all this crazy shit that you\u2019re really supposed to intake in the movie?\u201d He picks up the blunt to relight it. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he says, sheepishly, about his rant.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhere other\u00a0artists, like Prince, were futurists whose genius was hampered by the era in which they lived, Scott has been incredibly successful at getting his big ideas across the finish line. For his first full-length album, 2015\u2019s \u201cRodeo,\u201d Scott planned to release an action figure with the physical copy of the record. And though that idea fell through, it became an important part of his lore \u2014 and he eventually got his own toys, thanks to McDonald\u2019s and \u201cFortnite.\u201d\u00a0 (The \u201cRodeo\u201d toy was a low in Scott\u2019s trajectory, but not nearly as low as the night in 2021 when 10 concertgoers died in a crowd crush while he was performing at his Astroworld Festival in Houston. The tragedy was personally devastating, but his professional partnerships ultimately held.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThis fall, the University of Southern California will launch a course about the creative ecosystem around Scott and Cactus Jack, unpacking how an individual can turn their talent into a full-scale creative platform. Much like your average Travis Scott-related drop, the 140 slots for the class were taken in about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think he understands that what drives contemporary culture is experience and immersion,\u201d says Dr. Josh Kun, a professor in the Communication and American Studies department at USC. \u201cFans and consumers and everyday folks want experiences, and they want to be immersed. They want to be hit at multiple levels. He really, really understands that, where lifestyle becomes an entire way of moving through the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNolan agrees, pointing to Scott\u2019s \u201cCircus Maximus\u201d film as a prime example of what he\u2019s capable of. The visual companion to his 2023 \u201cUtopia\u201d album, it features segments directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Harmony Korine, Gaspar No\u00e9, Valdimar J\u00f3hannsson, Kahlil Joseph and Scott himself. \u201cTravis is super smart and super creative,\u201d Nolan says. \u201cThere\u2019s an understanding of cinematic virtues \u2014 the way in which you can involve an audience using their ears, but also their eyes \u2014 that I think is very natural to Travis. I think that\u2019s why he\u2019s excited to move into film.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat does Scott see as his secret sauce?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s experiences that I wanted as a fan that I didn\u2019t get,\u201d he says simply. \u201cSo I\u2019ve always told myself, \u2018If I\u2019m ever in this position, I just want to deliver the best experiences.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen it comes to making films, Scott learned a great deal during his sojourn on the \u201cOdyssey\u201d set. He showed up each day at 5 a.m. and hung out until 3 p.m. because he relished the opportunity to shadow Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNobody was in their trailer,\u201d Scott says. \u201cThat was new for me; I was used to doing what I\u2019m doing and going back to the trailer. But I was really wanting to learn, so I didn\u2019t really want to be in the trailer anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn set, he tracked behind Nolan and van Hoytema asking questions about their process and peering into the director\u2019s monitor as they framed up a shot on the Imax cameras. \u201cI\u2019m looking in the camera. I\u2019m all under the hood,\u201d Scott says, laughing. \u201cAin\u2019t no kicking it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat did he learn from observing Nolan? \u201cAlways see the vision through. Never go short on the vision.\u201d It\u2019s similar to wisdom that his mentor, Ye, imparted early in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGreg Swales for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tJust to be clear, \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d isn\u2019t Scott\u2019s acting debut. His filmography includes the 2021 indie drama \u201cGully\u201d and Korine\u2019s hyper-stylized crime thriller \u201cAggro Dr1ft,\u201d along with a cameo on HBO\u2019s \u201cBallers.\u201d He\u2019ll appear as himself in the Owen Wilson-led comedy \u201cRolling Loud,\u201d filmed during the hip-hop festival in 2024. (In the film, Wilson plays a dad who sneaks his underage son into the event because he\u2019s a big Travis Scott fan. High jinks ensue, and Wilson winds up onstage with the rapper as he performs his megahit \u201cFe!n.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI would love to act more,\u201d Scott says. \u201cI respect the true talents of the people that wake up every day and really grind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut acting, by nature, requires one to be in service of someone else\u2019s vision, whereas Scott is more suited to be the visionary. As such, his focus is on producing, directing, composing and sound-scaping. \u201cI feel like that\u2019s where I can shine the most,\u201d he says. \u201cI love acting, but that\u2019s way cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReflecting on his overall goals, Scott adds, \u201cI\u2019m here to conquer who I am as an artist. In these side quests \u2014 these cool things I like to do \u2014 I never lose sight of the main goal. I\u2019m still trying to do every stadium in the United States and the world. I\u2019m working on an album right now, and that\u2019s fucking amazing. And I\u2019m constantly pushing myself to push the sonics to try to make something that I haven\u2019t made before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tScott\u2019s been hard at work on the follow-up to the double-platinum \u201cUtopia,\u201d his first No. 1 record. He carries the tracks for this mysterious sixth studio album around on an iPod, which fans and hip-hop heads spotted attached to his waistband while he took in a recent World Cup match in Houston with Stormi and Aire.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott won\u2019t reveal much more about the new sound, but he\u2019s listening to a wide range of influences, including Parliament, Oasis, Van Halen (for their \u201cmega-choruses and hard bass lines,\u201d he teases), Don Toliver, Raphael Saadiq and Daft Punk.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s been taking inspiration from his time on the road, making music for the person at the very back of the stadium. \u201cI\u2019m like, OK, I need to double down on trying to make something that can reach the person that\u2019s all the way back in the bowl, so how do I reach them like the person that\u2019s right next to me,\u201d he says. \u201cSo that\u2019s what I\u2019m on \u2014 trying to elevate the show to a more theater aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe teases: \u201cStay tuned on how that\u2019s going to happen. \u2018Utopia\u2019 was supposed to be a play. I want to try to bring back true experiences before they try to take them all down and make everything digital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d a major Oscar contender, the credits track could put Scott in the best original song race. \u201cI still need a Grammy, but I would love to take home an Oscar. That\u2019d be cool,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tScott has been nominated by the Recording Academy 10 times, but he\u2019s never won. Does the thought of winning a Grammy motivate him?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHe ponders the question, letting out a long wisp of smoke before answering. \u201cIt\u2019s not why I do what I do,\u201d he says of the elusive award. \u201cI like to set goals, and I just want to achieve them. I noticed the people that get them always have that like, \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter\u2019 [attitude]. To me, the award represents something, and to achieve that would be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn March, Scott joined Nolan and composer Ludwig G\u00f6ransson at the Directors Guild of America theater in West Hollywood to screen a cut of \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d G\u00f6ransson had been noodling with an idea for the end-credits song featuring English singer-songwriter James Blake, and he wanted Scott to be involved.(One of Nolan\u2019s favorite songs from \u201cUtopia\u201d is \u201cTil Further Notice,\u201d which features Blake.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe is a chameleon,\u201d G\u00f6ransson says of working with Scott. \u201cYou can\u2019t really put your finger on what he\u2019s doing. He can break out of every genre, any form. It feels like the past and the future at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Scott needed to see the movie first. \u201cTravis was sitting right next to me, and during the Cyclops scene, he put his hoodie up over his head because I think he was kind of scared,\u201d G\u00f6ransson says with a laugh. \u201cIt was a great time watching the movie with him. He was very excited.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Scott, G\u00f6ransson had booked a session in the studio they could get to work right after the screening. There, he played what he\u2019d been tinkering with for Scott and Nolan, with the bard\u2019s lines from the film as placeholders in the mix. Then Scott began freestyling between the lines, delivering the ode to Odysseus promised by the nearly three-hour film. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s connecting the writing from the movie to the song,\u201d Scott says, thinking back to the session. \u201cNow, I\u2019m wearing my artist hat, explaining that feeling of the trials and the tribulations, trying to come back to the crib, trying to see Penelope, being stuck with Calypso eating lotus flowers for eight years. \u2026 We shot the video in Switzerland in a castle \u2014 it was crazy. It was insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the middle of this story about the recording session, Scott hops up to grab a piece of candy \u2014 a red Airhead stocked by the catering team. In that moment, I mention that there\u2019s a crazy piece of trivia about the song: It\u2019s Nolan\u2019s first songwriting credit. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWelcome to my world, OG,\u201d Scott says.<\/p>\n

\t\tStyling: Peri Rosenzweig\/Hardstyle; Stylist Assistant: Nick Cohen; Barber: Marcus Phillip Hatch; Grooming: Latisha Rankin; Braider: Korynn Henderson; Production: Alexey Galetskiy\/AGP; Look 1 (Stripe Shirt); Shirt: Saint Laurent; Pants and belt: Hermes; Hanes; Sneakers and sunglasses: Rick Owens; Look 2 (cover): Shirt, pants and belt: Hermes; Tank: Hanes; Sneakers and sunglasses: Rick Owens; Look 3 (Leather Jacket): Jacket, shirt, pants and slides: Gucci; Sunglasses: Rick Owens; Look 5 (Roof): Full look: Hermes; Sunglasses: Rick Owens\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI was nervous as fuck,\u201d Travis Scott says. That\u2019s shocking coming from someone who just wrapped up the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":952144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[185,171,15329,3279,12536,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-952143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-paramount","tag-the-odyssey","tag-travis-scott","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=952143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/952144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=952143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=952143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=952143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}