Matt Damon Reveals His Female Stunt Double for ‘The Odyssey’ Had “the Greatest Arms I’ve Ever Seen”

Matt Damon has been receiving plenty of attention for his impressive transformation in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, with fans noticing the actor’s much leaner and more muscular look as he takes on the role of Odysseus. But according to Damon, some of the praise should also go to the stunt performer who helped bring the character’s biggest action moments to life.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Damon opened up about working with his stunt double during one of the film’s most challenging sequences. The scene involved Odysseus and his crew facing the massive Laestrygonians, and the production used special techniques to make the creatures appear much larger than the actors.

Damon explained that the movie used performers of different heights to create the illusion of enormous size on screen. While some stunt performers were extremely tall, others were much shorter to help create the forced-perspective effect. His own stunt double for the sequence was a female performer who left a strong impression on him.

“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 podcast. “My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.”

The actor recalled meeting her for the first time away from set and making sure she knew how much he appreciated her work. Damon said he was impressed by the amount of effort she put into the physically demanding scenes.

“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,” he explained.

Damon also pointed out that some of the shots where audiences see massive creatures towering over Odysseus were actually performed by his stunt double.

“There are those shots where you see these giants looming over me [and that’s her],” Damon said. “It was almost 100% my arms in the movie, but you got to give it up where it’s due.”

While Damon gave credit to his stunt performer, he also revealed that he went through an intense physical transformation himself to prepare for the role. The actor previously discussed his training and diet changes during an appearance on the New Heights podcast.

For the role of Odysseus, Damon said director Christopher Nolan wanted him to look athletic and powerful while still appearing lean after years at sea in the story. To achieve that appearance, Damon dramatically reduced his weight.

“I was in really good shape. I lost a lot of weight,” Damon said. “[Nolan] wanted me lean but strong.”

The actor explained that he changed his diet, including cutting out gluten, and followed a strict workout routine throughout production. Before filming, Damon said he typically weighed between 185 and 200 pounds, but he dropped down to 167 pounds for The Odyssey.

“I did that whole movie at 167. And I haven’t been that light since high school,” Damon revealed.

The transformation was a major commitment for Damon, especially for a role that required intense physical performances and long action sequences. However, he made it clear that bringing Odysseus to life was a team effort, with stunt performers playing a major role behind the scenes.

As The Odyssey continues to draw attention, Damon’s comments highlight the work that often goes unnoticed in major Hollywood productions. While audiences see the final result on screen, many of the film’s biggest moments rely on the dedication and skill of stunt performers who help create movie magic.

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