To play Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s new film based on Homer’s The Odyssey, Matt Damon completely changed his lifestyle for six months.
The 55-year-old actor lost 33 pounds for the part, but revealed that a scene showing off his muscles was actually performed by his stunt double, Devyn Dalton.
Damon recently shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that when filming the scenes with the Laestrygonians, they used stunt performers who were all around seven feet tall to create the forced perspective effect.
I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Odysseus, and one of the most terrifying parts for me is when he and his men stumble upon the Laestrygonians. They’re these huge, monstrous giants, and unbelievably, they eat people – Odysseus’s crew, specifically! It’s a truly chilling encounter during his long, ten-year struggle to get back home to Ithaca.
To emphasize the size difference between the giants and Odysseus, Nolan had a female stunt double stand in for Damon.
Damon explained that they hired stunt doubles who were very short, and his double was a woman with incredibly strong arms.
Damon praised Dalton as he recalled meeting her for the first time.
I met her for the first time when she entered the catering tent. I immediately went to greet her with a hug and thanked her for all her hard work.
There are moments in the film where you see these huge figures towering over me and her.
I did nearly all of the arm work in the film, but I want to acknowledge the contributions of others involved,” he explained.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Damon’s representative for comment.
On Monday, Dalton announced she would be in the film by sharing photos from her time in Scotland on Instagram.
She described filming in the Scottish Highlands as ‘an adventure,’ and shared excitement about being involved in the Laestrygonian battle sequence for the movie The Odyssey. She also mentioned stunt work, filling in for Matt Damon.
It was a fantastic team effort! We put in a lot of hard work, had a great time, and made some unforgettable memories. What I love most about this job is the opportunity to travel and meet incredible people.
Fans might also recognize Dalton from the horror movie Weapons and TV show The Last of Us.
Damon shared how he changed his habits and routines to get in shape for his role as the famous Greek king Odysseus, ruler of Ithaca.
He explained in his interview with People that it wasn’t simply about exercise – it required a complete shift in lifestyle, starting with what he ate.
‘You have to just be very, very intentional about everything you’re putting in your body.’
Damon, with help from his trainer Jason Walsh, eliminated gluten and followed a safe plan while making the dietary change.
‘I didn’t change it in an unhealthy way,’ The Rip producer-star noted.
Looking back, I realize gaining weight would have been risky, and it’s something I won’t attempt again. I used to be okay with it when I was younger.
The award-winning actor also shared that filming The Odyssey was the most difficult experience of his career. It’s the third film he’s made with director Nolan, following Oppenheimer and the 2014 science fiction movie Interstellar.
The film features a star-studded cast including Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, James Remar, and Travis Scott.
Theron was really impressed with Damon’s physical change for the movie, especially all the muscle he gained.
She described seeing him casually dressed and said he was amazing, repeating, ‘Incredible!’ during a recent interview while discussing the film.
I realized I was staring at him inappropriately and immediately felt bad. It wasn’t right to look, even though he did look really good.
Earlier this month, the social media account for the movie The Odyssey had to limit comments because of a wave of complaints and racist remarks directed at the film’s diverse group of actors.
Even though some people initially reacted negatively, The Odyssey quickly received very positive reviews and earned a nearly perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
I was so thrilled to see that the movie absolutely dominated the box office this weekend! It opened with a fantastic $124.5 million here in North America – truly amazing and well-deserved, if you ask me.
The film earned an additional $139 million internationally, bringing its total earnings to $263.5 million. This exceeds the movie’s $250 million production budget.
2026-07-22 15:07