Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 12
Matt Damon Says 80th Film The Odyssey Was His Hardest at 55
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 12

Matt Damon Says 80th Film The Odyssey Was His Hardest at 55

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 12

Summary

  • Matt Damon said Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” was the hardest film of his roughly 80-movie career, describing the shoot as more like an expedition than a movie.
  • Morocco beaches, mountaintops and boats in stormy conditions pushed cast and crew to their limits, while Damon said Nolan endured the same cold and wet conditions on set.
  • At 55, Damon said preparing to play Odysseus required heavy training and a strict diet to meet Nolan’s request that he look “lean but strong.”
  • 167 pounds became his working weight on the film, down from his usual 185 to 200, and Damon said cutting gluten was a life-changing shift that helped sustain the transformation.

Insights

After Matt Damon's 'life-changing' transformation, can his performance justify the extreme physical and mental costs of the role?
Nolan dismissed casting backlash, but will audiences agree with his modern vision for the 2,700-year-old epic?
Is the brutal 91-day shoot for 'The Odyssey' the secret to its success or just a brilliant marketing story?