Samantha Morton doesn’t have much screen time in “The Odyssey,” but when she appears about halfway through the epic action, she takes over the movie. In an electrifying sequence that lasts approximately 10 minutes, Morton gives a searing, richly textured performance as Circe, a sorceress who transforms Odysseus’s men into pigs. In Homer’s epic, Circe is a beautiful temptress who plays with soldiers for pleasure. In Morton’s hands, she is a woman who has seen too much brutality and uses her magic as protection against sexual violence.

“My family is a military family,” Morton says. “War is complicated. Men are complicated. Our relationships with men as wives, sisters and daughters are complicated. I drew from that. And there are people in my family who have been sexually assaulted and raped, and I thought about that too.”

Performing the scene made her “carefully observe the behavior of humanity and men in particular.”

When Christopher Nolan asked if he would meet her to talk about his next project, Morton couldn’t believe his luck.

“When I got the call, I started crying,” Morton recalls. “Then we had a get-to-know-you talk and I read the script. But I didn’t know if it would go any further. Then when he called me and said, ‘Would you like to do it?’ I was impressed. “He could have anyone on the planet and he chose me.”

It was the kind of opportunity to work on a blockbuster alongside celebrities like Matt Damon and a director like Nolan that Morton was worried he’d never get again. She’s been a professional actress since she was 12, with a resume that includes everything from “Minority Report” to “The Whale” to “The Messenger.” He also earned Oscar nominations for “Sweet and Lowdown” and “In America.” But in recent years, Morton felt that opportunities to appear in major Hollywood films were drying up.

“As you get older as an actress, roles like this are few and far between,” says Morton, 49. “I still work all the time, but mainly in independent films or television.”

Filming the sequence in which Circe lures soldiers to her cabin, drugs them, and then transforms them into pigs with her bare hands was exciting. Morton loved how open and collaborative Nolan was with the actors.

“It’s very practical,” says Morton. “Chris just made sure I had everything I needed and the time I needed to do what I needed to do. There was an incredible feeling of freedom and trust, and then the kindest, kindest suggestions and guidance to get me where I needed to go.”

The production presented some unique challenges. “The Odyssey” is shot entirely with Imax cameras, which are huge, loud and weigh 300 pounds.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say the first take was…interesting” he says. “The cameras are just huge and they’re right there in front of you. So at first I thought, ‘Wow!’ But I finally forgot. “It became like any other camera.”

After Odysseus gains the upper hand over Circe, she launches into a monologue about the cruelty of men and the way they can abuse their power. Morton enjoyed the dialogue Nolan had written for her to deliver.

“It’s very impactful because it doesn’t contain extra meat,” he says. “It’s so concise and pure.”

The role serves as a reminder of Morton’s power as an actress and, if there’s any justice, will lead to meatier roles.

“It felt like a rebirth,” Morton says. “I have to do what I do best to be better. Make the role feel like a second chance to be seen by the rest of the world.”

It could also mean an invitation to the Oscars. “The Odyssey” premiered Friday, but Morton’s work is already generating awards buzz.

“If your peers feel you’re worthy of praise, that means something, but I’ve never been one to chase that kind of gratification,” Morton says. “I love what I can do for a living.”