It is no state secret that Christopher Nolan prefers practical effects in his films over CGI and VFX. The filmmaker relies on visual trickery only to fine-tune the existing practical effects. One of the best examples of this is the scene involving the 10-foot-tall giant Laestrygonians in his latest film, The Odyssey. The scene was created using forced perspective and practical effects, minus any extensive use of CGI, the film’s star Matt Damon has now revealed.
How Nolan created the Laestrygonians
Matt Damon physically transformed to play Odysseus in The Odyssey, but despite this, he also had some help from stunt performers in some key scenes, including the one with the giants. In a new interview, Matt Damon revealed that one of his stunt doubles was a female standing in as the Greek hero as the character faces the giant Laestrygonians.
“When we did the force perspective stuff with the Laestrygonians, there were these stuntmen who were all seven feet, and then they got stunt men who were under five feet,” Damon said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen. When she came into the catering tent, it was the first time I met her. I went up and hugged her and thanked her for all the work she put in.”
Since the interview, the stunt performers in the scene have shared behind-the-scenes pictures from the set, highlighting their stark height difference and how Nolan used it to create the giants’ immense stature.
About Nolan’s The Odyssey
Based on Homer’s epic poem Odyssey, the film follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) on his long journey home after the Trojan War. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and an ensemble cast.
The Odyssey has had an epic box office run so far, earning $264 million globally in its opening weekend. This number is a record for Nolan, whose Dark Knight Rises premiered in 2012 to $249 million worldwide. After the record-breaking weekend, the film also scored the best Monday this year in the US with a reported $18.67 million haul.
The Odyssey has also received rave reviews from critics, with many praising its immense scale and the performances, chiefly those of Robert Pattinson and Samantha Morton.