Matt Damon: Received a glowing endorsement from his best friend for his portrayal of the legendary Greek warrior king Odysseus in Christopher NolanThe much anticipated blockbuster ‘The Odyssey’. The 55-year-old actor revealed that Ben Affleck called to congratulate him after seeing the film, an honor that Damon described as a once in a lifetime opportunity.According to The Mirror, Damon explained that Affleck had already seen the production and came away with praise. “Ben has seen the movie. He called me recently, and I was like ‘I’ve been waiting 45 years for this phone call,'” the outlet reported, emphasizing the importance of receiving such recognition from his lifelong partner and friend.Set to premiere in theaters on July 17, the $250 million epic represents the most important blockbuster of Damon’s career. The film marks the first feature production shot entirely with large-format cameras, an ambitious undertaking that Damon acknowledges has many challenges. “We are making the movie for giant screens, and that is difficult, but I am excited to share it with the world. We have some young actors in the movie. It’s impossible not to root for them. They are very pros,” he said.
The scope and cast of the film
The film follows the legendary Greek king Odysseus as he struggles to return home to Ithaca after the decade-long Trojan War. The film features an all-star ensemble that includes: Tom HollandAnne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton and Charlize Theron, bringing together some of the best performers in cinema.Christopher Nolan directs the Bronze Age epic, building on his recent accolades after winning the best picture and best director Oscars in 2024.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as the legendary Greek king Odysseus in the filmmaker’s ambitious mythological epic. Image credit (Instagram).
Damon’s family at the London premiere
Damon attended the London premiere this week with his film producer wife Luciana Barroso, 49, and daughters Alexia, 27—his daughter from a previous marriage—Isabella, 20, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15.
The deep friendship between Damon and Affleck
Since launching an independent, artist-led studio together in 2022, Damon has drawn parallels between his relationship with Affleck and the legendary musicians. Paul McCartney and: John Lennon in a 2021 documentary about the iconic group. After watching the documentary with his youngest daughter, who was 11 at the time, Damon cried during the final scenes.“It reminds me of how we both started. In the end, there is this amazing scene when they play for the last season on the roof of London. It’s like the happiest thing as they are all in their 20s,” Damon explained. “I watched it with my youngest daughter, and she said, ‘Dad, why are you crying?’ Tears were just falling down my face. I’m so sad, because there are these guys who can’t break anything that won’t let them continue to do this together.“
The shared bank account and early struggles
Reflecting on their cash-strapped beginnings as aspiring actors, before Good Will Hunting won two Oscars in 1998, Damon recalls their unconventional ways of funding their dreams. “We used to share a bank account where we would put the money we made professionally. So, if we had a part or more work, we would get $50 or $100, and that money would go to our shared account. We used the money to audition in New York, and we took a bus from Boston,” he explained.The journey from Boston to New York for auditions was difficult and often frustrating. “It takes about four or five hours to get to New York. We’ll walk somewhere in the middle of Manhattan, and they’ll just say after three minutes, ‘OK, thanks!’ We always call rejected ‘OK, thanks.’ Because you go in there, beat your chest, pull your hair and cry, and they just say, ‘Okay, thank you.’ But we have this account to rely on. We also use it to play video games at this Madison Avenue location, buy beer and audition. That were the three uses for the account,” said Damon.
The secret code and River Phoenix
The access code for the shared account mentions a young actor who is highly admired by both men. During an appearance on a podcast, Damon revealed the significance behind their secret password. “The code is ‘River P,’ because River Phoenix is an artist we admire. He was our age, and he got the parts we wanted to play. That’s our secret code to get into our shared bank account,” said Damon, paying tribute to the performer who died of a drug overdose in 1993 at the age of just 23.
From struggling actors to the Hollywood establishment
Now, boasting an estimated fortune and assets in multiple locations, Damon has little need for a shared bank account. However, he still appreciates the excitement of every milestone the duo has achieved during the formative years. “It’s like you won the lottery, but your best friend won it too. We talked about that, me and Ben. And also the fact that we were not strange in the 1980s that we were 14 and 16 years old and we would go to New York to audition for things,” thought Damon.The actor emphasized how unconventional their current youth looks in retrospect. “It wasn’t until we had kids that we thought ‘can you believe we’re going to audition?’ I mean, would you let this kid go to San Francisco for the day by themselves? It seems normal to us. We like to start as extras. It can be demeaning work, but we love being on set. We were happy to be there, and yes, I mean, it started the business,” he said.
Continuous commitment to the craft
Now firmly established as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men, Damon’s rise to the top has been built on relentless hard work, and he shows no signs of stopping. “Even if you succeed you’ll probably have to break a lot of eggs to get the omelette. You know what I mean?” he concludes by reflecting on the continuous effort required to maintain excellence in his craft.“The Odyssey” hits theaters on Friday, July 17.