Universal Pictures to campaign The Odyssey's Anne Hathaway for supporting actress categories

Universal Pictures is to campaign Anne Hathaway for the Supporting Actress category ahead of next year's Academy Awards.

Representatives confirmed to Variety that Hathaway will go into the supporting actress conversation following her portrayal of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, mother of Telemachus, and the queen of Ithaca, in Sir Christopher Nolan's movie The Odyssey.

Hathaway is likely to go up against her co-star Samantha Morton in supporting actress categories at upcoming award shows following Morton's portrayal of Circe, a witch and goddess on the island of Aeaea.

Matt Damon - who played Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca - is likely to receive several Best Actor nods for the Hollywood blockbuster.

Hathaway is no stranger to a Supporting Actress Oscar, after she triumphed in the category in 2013, winning the accolade for her performance as Fantine in movie musical Les Misérables.

Anne - who is expecting her third child - has featured in several big-budget movies already this year, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and The End of Oak Street, as well as The Odyssey - and she is relishing her jam-packed work schedule.

Anne told The Hollywood Reporter: "When I got my schedule for this year from all the wonderful film studios that I’ve worked with, I saw it and I kind of thought I was being punked.

"But then they showed me that no, no, no, all these [release] dates were going to hold and I just said as long as audiences don’t get sick of my face - which I wouldn’t blame them, I would not blame them if they did - let’s go."

She told People: "I’m excited. This is very, very fun. It’s extremely surreal.

"I’m at an age and a moment in my career where I know stuff like this doesn’t come around very often, and certainly doesn’t last forever.

"I’m just gonna surf this wave for as long as it lasts, I’m going to enjoy being on my board, and then when I fall in the water - that’ll be that moment."