Matt Damon is no stranger to physical transformation, but his latest role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film adaptation of Homer’s "The Odyssey" demanded a level of commitment that even he hadn’t experienced since his youth. At 55 years old, Damon found himself pushing the boundaries of his own fitness and discipline, embarking on a journey that mirrored the epic odyssey of his character in more ways than one.
Appearing on the "New Heights" podcast hosted by NFL brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, Damon opened up about the grueling process that saw him shed significant weight and adopt a strict gluten-free diet. "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," Damon explained. "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." (as reported by Entertainment Weekly and Fox News Digital).
This wasn’t the first time Damon had altered his physique for a role, but the approach was markedly different from his previous transformations. In the past, he’s spoken about gaining weight for films like "The Informant!" by indulging in fast food and beer, and losing weight to dangerous extremes for "Courage Under Fire." But this time, the focus was on achieving a "lean but strong" look, as director Christopher Nolan envisioned for the mythic Greek hero. Damon worked closely with a personal trainer and built his daily routine around rigorous physical preparation, likening it to the kind of discipline professional athletes like the Kelce brothers bring to football season. "It’s like just part of your day. It’s part of your job, right? And it’s like yeah, you get really routinized about it and really kind of build your day around all that stuff," he told the podcast hosts (per Business Insider and Benzinga).
Cutting gluten from his diet was a pivotal change. Damon described the switch as initially motivated by medical advice, but it quickly became a lifestyle. "I'm done. I'm gluten-free everything," he declared. He even joked about discovering gluten-free beer, quipping, "It's been so long since I've had gluten, I can't tell if it's good or not. So, that's a good sign." (Fox News Digital). While gluten-free diets are often adopted for medical reasons such as celiac disease, experts like Mayo Clinic’s Grace Fjeldberg caution that they aren’t universally necessary for weight loss or better health. Still, for Damon, the combination of dietary discipline and physical training paid off, helping him reach a weight he hadn’t seen since his teenage years.
The physical demands of the role were matched only by the film’s ambitious production schedule. Between February and August 2025, Nolan’s team traveled to some of the world’s most breathtaking—and challenging—locations, including Morocco, Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Italy, and Malta. Damon recalled his awe at Nolan’s penchant for epic settings: "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." (as reported by MovieWeb, Variety, and Fox News Digital).
One of the most innovative aspects of "The Odyssey" was Nolan’s decision to shoot the entire film with Imax cameras—a first for Hollywood. This technical leap required the invention of a new Imax "blimp" casing to reduce the cameras’ notorious noise, making it possible to capture intimate dialogue scenes without sacrificing sound quality. Damon marveled at the engineering involved: "Imax cameras are really loud. It sounds like a blender, like a Cuisinart in your face when the camera’s close to you. So there’s never been these dialogue [scenes in Imax]. They built this giant thing around the Imax for those dialogue scenes and a system of mirrors so your eye line would be close to the camera and you could talk to the other actor. The amount of work that went into figuring out how to do [that], because he wanted to do 100 percent Imax and he did it!" (Variety).
The film’s ensemble cast is as star-studded as its production is ambitious. Alongside Damon’s Odysseus, audiences can expect to see Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Charlize Theron as Circe, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, and a host of other acclaimed actors including Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, James Remar, Lupita Nyong'o, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, and Logan Marshall-Green (MovieWeb).
Of course, not every behind-the-scenes story was about triumph. Benny Safdie, who plays Agamemnon, shared a cautionary tale about the perils of on-location filming. During their stay in Morocco, Safdie drank unclean water while exploring local sights, leading to a memorable visit to the set doctor. "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!'" (Project Big Screen).
Damon’s journey with "The Odyssey" is the latest in a long line of physically demanding roles. Reflecting on his career, he’s spoken candidly about the toll such transformations can take. For "Courage Under Fire," he lost up to 50 pounds in 100 days—a feat he later admitted was dangerous. "I went too far," Damon said via Express. "I got sick, and I wouldn’t do that again because it was just too much." Yet, whether gaining, losing, or maintaining, Damon’s approach has always been rooted in professionalism and a willingness to push himself for the sake of his craft.
As "The Odyssey" prepares for its theatrical release on July 17, 2026, anticipation is high not just for the spectacle of Nolan’s filmmaking, but for Damon’s transformative performance. His odyssey, both on and off screen, stands as a testament to the enduring power of dedication, discipline, and a touch of adventure.
