[DaedalusII]

"A complicated man" is a stupid translation in the first place

Polytropos means: a man of many twists and turns, describing simultaneously a person who has traveled widely and been "turned" by many hardships and places, as well as someone whose mind is clever, resourceful, versatile, and cunning enough to turn any situation to their advantage

Or as W2 academics chasing book reviews and podcasts slots translate: "a complicated guy"

the perfect actor would be someone with james bond spy thriller feeling not commercial guy that has the energy of a little league coach

[Gander5739]

They wrote at length on this particular translation choice: https://emily613.substack.com/p/on-complicated

[keiferski]

It’s a shame Michael Fassbender wasn’t in the running, as his character in The Agency is kind of exactly how I imagined Odysseus: clever, with a heart for the people he cares about but absolutely brutal against people he doesn’t need.

[DaedalusII]

maybe like this, gary oldman 1990s would have been good. there needs to be a feeling of some edge or at least mystery, depth

[keiferski]

I think it was more because of the Nolan script. Damon is capable of playing that kind of character; see The Talented Mr. Ripley, for example.