Matt Damon Reveals the Surprisingly Emotional Way ‘The Odyssey’ Wrapped Filming

‘The Odyssey’ has already proven itself to be one of the most demanding shoots of Matt Damon’s career, and the actor has spent much of the film’s press tour detailing just how far Christopher Nolan pushed everyone involved. Damon has repeatedly called it the hardest film he has ever made, pointing to the six countries, the real boats, and the punishing conditions the cast endured to bring Homer’s epic to the screen without relying on digital shortcuts.

That relentless commitment to realism extended well beyond the locations and the practical effects. Nolan famously writes everything into the script in advance, giving his actors a clear sense of what a given day of filming will require, whether that means being tied to a real mast in open water or hiking to a remote castle for a scene.

According to Damon, meticulous planning extended to the order in which the film was actually shot. He revealed that production filmed ‘The Odyssey’ chronologically, meaning the cast and crew worked through the story in the same sequence audiences will eventually see on screen, rather than jumping around based on location logistics, the way most big-budget productions typically operate.

That decision meant the film’s climactic final scene was also the very last thing Damon and the rest of the cast shot, which made the moment land with an unusual amount of weight once it finally arrived. Damon described the experience of filming that scene as very emotional, a rare acknowledgment from an actor known for approaching even the most grueling productions with a certain amount of stoicism.

Part of what made the moment so charged, according to Damon, was how long he had been carrying the scene with him mentally throughout the shoot. He explained that for months he had the final scene typed into his phone, keeping it with him constantly even though he was never able to bring it onto set, since Nolan famously runs phone free productions to protect the secrecy and focus of his sets.

That detail lines up with what other cast members have said about working under Nolan’s no phone policy during filming, with co-star Tom Holland previously describing how difficult it was to stay disconnected from the outside world for months at a time while shooting in remote locations. For Damon, though, that same restriction appears to have made his private preparation for the final scene feel even more personal, since the words existed only in his pocket rather than anywhere on set.

The revelation adds another layer to what has already been an unusually candid press tour for Damon, who has spoken openly about viewing ‘The Odyssey’ as possibly his last shot at making a film on this kind of scale. Between the 91-day shoot across six countries and the technical demands of filming entirely on IMAX cameras, the production has repeatedly been described by its cast as feeling more like an expedition than a traditional movie shoot.

Damon has also spoken elsewhere about the sheer physical toll of the production, noting that every single location on the film would have qualified as the hardest location he had ever worked on any other movie he has made. He has credited that shared difficulty with building an unusual sense of camaraderie among the cast and crew, many of whom pushed through conditions ranging from open ocean storms to grueling hikes just to get the shots Nolan needed.

‘The Odyssey’ opens in theaters on July 17, following preview screenings the night before, and stars Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!