Matt Damon has opened up about the intense physical preparation required to play King Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation, revealing one extreme approach to filmmaking he will never pursue again. The Oscar-winning actor discussed the gruelling demands of bringing Homer’s ancient Greek poem to the screen, describing the experience as the most challenging of his entire career.According to PEOPLE magazine’s cover story this week, Damon prepared for the role by dropping to 167 pounds, his high school weight. The dramatic transformation required significant lifestyle modifications beyond simple weight loss. “I didn’t change it in an unhealthy way. I think if I had done the opposite and put weight on, that would have been dangerous, and it’s not something I’ll do anymore. I was happy to do it earlier in my life,” Damon told the publication.
Damon underwent an intense 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 voyages for 20 years to return to his wife and son, Damon gave up gluten “among other things,” he says. The dietary changes represented part of a comprehensive lifestyle overhaul. “It was more about just getting really, really physically fit, which just really involves changing your diet, just a whole lifestyle change. You have to just be very, very intentional about everything you’re putting in your body,” Damon explained.
The physically demanding shoot across multiple continents
The production of ‘The Odyssey’ pushed both 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 by far the hardest movie, the most challenging movie I’ve ever been a part of,” says Damon, describing how those involved were “completely maxing out and straining against what they thought was possible.” Rather than a traditional filmmaking experience, the production felt fundamentally different. “It really felt more like an expedition than a movie,” Damon notes, emphasising the exploratory and gruelling nature of the undertaking.The harsh conditions tested everyone equally. “And if you were cold and wet, you just turned, and you looked, and Chris was just as cold and just as wet and going through it,” Damon said, highlighting how the director shared in the physical and emotional demands placed on cast and crew. By the end of each week, exhaustion set in across the entire team. “People were just running on fumes. But that feeling of elation when we would get to the end of a week, and we’d look around and it was a real sense of pride like, ‘Okay, that’s another week.‘ And I would go home like everyone else and just kind of sleep, get my rest and be ready for Monday. I loved every minute of it,” he recalled.
Damon revealed his daughter’s rare words of encouragement after watching The Odyssey made every challenge of filming the epic worthwhile.Image credit (Instagram)
His daughter’s rare approval
Despite the gruelling nature of the production, the most meaningful recognition came from within Damon’s own family. The actor has a daughter who maintains a refreshingly irreverent attitude toward his professional accomplishments. “I have one daughter who’s really not reverential at all about my movies and loves to give me s—, says Damon. “She saw The Odyssey, and at the end she actually turned to me and said, ‘Dad, I’m proud of you.‘”Damon laughed while recounting the moment, explaining just how significant the rare praise was. “She’s never said anything like that, because we joke around a lot. At that point I was kind of like, ‘I’m good. It was all worth it,'” he concluded, suggesting that his daughter’s genuine admiration vindicated every sacrifice and challenge he faced during the production.‘The Odyssey’ opens in theatres on July 17.