Actress Samantha Morton has said she has not worked for a year since finishing filming on Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in 2025, blaming ageism in the film industry now that she is 49. Speaking on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, the two-time Oscar nominee said that despite having strong representation, roles have dried up because, in her words, "there's other good actors out there" and "the politics of the industry has changed massively." Her comments highlight ongoing concerns about older actresses struggling to find work in Hollywood, even after acclaimed performances.

Morton, who has worked steadily since 1991 across films including "Minority Report" and "The Walking Dead" as well as Oscar-nominated turns in "Sweet and Lowdown" and "In America," earned some of her best reviews yet playing the witch Circe in "The Odyssey" opposite Matt Damon, with Variety naming her the standout of the film's large ensemble cast. She also recalled one of the toughest moments of her career, being dropped from Spike Jonze's "Her" after filming had wrapped and being replaced in post-production by Scarlett Johansson as the voice of the AI character Samantha.