Matt Damon's Extreme Prep for Nolan's 'The Odyssey'

Matt Damon’s latest team-up with Christopher Nolan saw him go through a tough physical overhaul to step into the shoes of Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca. In Nolan’s much-hyped fantasy action epic, Damon’s character faces wild seas and mythical creatures on his long trek home after the Trojan War. To do justice to Homer’s iconic hero, Damon had to look and feel completely different from anything his fans have seen before.

Appearing on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, the 55-year-old actor shared just how much he had to change for the role.

“I had a beard like yours for like a year. I was in really good shape. I lost a lot of weight. [Nolan] wanted me lean but strong. Just because of this other thing that I did with my doctor, I stopped eating gluten. I used to walk around at between 185 and 200 [pounds], and I did that whole movie at 167. And I haven't been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet.”

Filming Across the Globe

From February to August last year, Nolan and his crew travelled to some truly epic spots to bring Odysseus’ journey to life. The production visited Morocco, Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Italy, and Malta, with Damon recalling the experience:

“We would get there and I'd just start laughing. I'd be like, 'Nobody has any business shooting here! Of course he wants to shoot here. That tracks.' He has such a great crew. His crew is so badass. And everybody just maxed out on that movie, and we made all of our days. We actually finished ahead of schedule. It was an awesome experience.”

While in Morocco, Damon’s co-star Benny Safdie, who plays Agamemnon, had a bit of a mishap. Keen to explore, he ventured out on his day off and ended up drinking some dodgy water. Safdie later shared:

“We were in Morocco and I wanted to see the place, and so on my day off I asked this guy, I was like, 'Hey, can you take me around to some of the things?' and I ate the food, I drank the things, and then I remember talking to Chris and being like, 'The water, what's that like here?' and he's like, 'You don't drink it', and I'm like [sighs]. In my head I'm like, I saw the moment and I'm like, oh that's gonna be a thing. Then I remember just going to the doctor and them putting this stethoscope on my stomach and then just went, 'Wow! Something's going on in there!'”

All-Star Cast and Release Date

The film’s cast is packed with big names. Anne Hathaway takes on Penelope, Tom Holland is Telemachus, Charlize Theron plays Circe, and Robert Pattinson appears as Antinous. Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Zendaya, and John Leguizamo all have key roles, with James Remar, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, and Logan Marshall-Green also on board in yet-to-be-revealed parts.

Christopher Nolan both directs and writes this adaptation, which is set to hit cinemas on 17 July 2026. With its globe-trotting shoot, demanding physical prep, and a cast full of heavy hitters, punters are keen to see how this take on the ancient tale will play out on the big screen.