Matt Damon: opened up about the intense physical preparation required to play King Odysseus in: Christopher NolanThe epic adaptation of, reveals an extreme approach to filmmaking that he will never pursue again. The Oscar-winning actor discussed the daunting demands of bringing Homer’s ancient Greek poem to the screen, describing the experience as the most challenging of his entire career.According to this week’s PEOPLE magazine cover story, Damon prepared for the role by dropping to 167 pounds, his high school weight. Dramatic change requires significant lifestyle changes beyond simple weight loss. “I didn’t change it in a bad way. I think if I did the opposite and put on weight, that would be dangerous, and it would not be something I would do. I would have been happy to do it earlier in my life,” said Damon in the publication.
Damon went through an extreme fitness and diet regimen to bring King Odysseus to life in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Image credit (Instagram).
To embody the tortured and complicated Odysseus, who travels 20 years to return to his wife and son, Damon gave up gluten “among other things,” he says. Dietary changes represent part of a comprehensive lifestyle change. “It’s more about getting really, really physically fit, which just really involves changing your diet, just a complete change in lifestyle. You just have to be very, very intentional about everything you put in your body,” explained Damon.
The physically demanding shoot on multiple continents
Making ‘The Odyssey’ pushed the cast and crew to their absolute limits. Filming took place across Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Italy and Morocco, requiring the entire team to navigate challenging locations and extreme weather conditions. Damon found inspiration in the collective commitment of everyone involved in bringing the epic vision to life.“This movie was the hardest movie, the most challenging movie I’ve ever been in,” Damon said, describing how those involved “absolutely stepped up and pushed against what they thought was possible.” Instead of a traditional filmmaking experience, the production felt different. “It really feels more like an expedition than a movie,” Damon says, emphasizing the exploratory and adventurous nature of the event.Harsh conditions test everyone alike. “And when you’re cold and wet, you just turn around, and you look, and Chris is as cold and as wet and going through it,” Damon says, highlighting how the director shares the physical and emotional demands placed on the cast and crew. At the end of each week, fatigue sets in for the entire team. “People are just running on fumes. But that feeling of joy when we get to the end of a week, and we look around and it’s a real sense of pride like, ‘Okay, that’s a week.And I’ll go home like everyone else and just sleep, rest and get ready for Monday. I loved every minute of it,” he recalls.
Damon revealed his daughter’s incredible words of encouragement after watching The Odyssey that made every challenge of filming the epic worthwhile. Image credit (Instagram).
His daughter’s incredible tolerance
Despite the gruesome nature of the production, the most meaningful recognition comes from within Damon’s own family. The actor has a daughter who maintains a refreshingly irreverent attitude towards his professional achievements. “I have a daughter who is very disrespectful about my movies and likes to give me s—, Damon said. “She saw The Odyssey, and at the end she actually turned to me and said, ‘Dad, I’m proud of you.‘”Damon laughed as he recounted the moment, explaining how significant the rare compliment was. “He never said anything like that, because we joked a lot. At that point I was like, ‘I’m good. It’s all worth it,'” he concluded, suggesting that his daughter’s genuine admiration confirmed every sacrifice and challenge he faced during production.“The Odyssey” opens in theaters on July 17.
