Matt Damon Says Christopher Nolan Refuses to Use a Phone—and Here’s How He Reaches Actors Instead
Christopher Nolan may be one of Hollywood’s biggest directors, but he does things very differently when it comes to communication. According to Matt Damon, the filmmaker behind The Odyssey does not use a phone, text messages, or emails, making the way he contacts actors surprisingly old-fashioned.
In a new PEOPLE cover story, Damon opened up about working with Nolan and revealed how he first learned the director wanted him to play Odysseus in The Odyssey. Damon explained that Nolan’s wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, was the person who first reached out.
Thomas sent Damon a message asking if he was available for a call because, as Damon explained, Nolan does not have a personal phone. “Because Chris famously doesn’t have a phone,” Damon said.
Instead of receiving a normal call from Nolan’s personal number, Damon said the director usually calls from a random number connected to Universal Studios. Even Nolan himself does not know what number will appear when he makes the call.
“You get a phone call from a nondescript number, because he’s just picking up a line at Universal Studios,” Damon explained.
Damon said Thomas usually gives actors a warning before Nolan calls, allowing them to know that an unexpected number is actually the director trying to reach them. That was exactly how Damon found out about Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic.
The actor recalled that Nolan’s call lasted around 10 or 15 minutes. At first, Damon thought the conversation was simply a casual catch-up because it had only been a short time since Oppenheimer finished its awards season.
Damon said he assumed Nolan would take a longer break before starting another project. Instead, Nolan surprised him by revealing he was already thinking about returning to work.
“He blurted out, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking of going back to work.’ And I went, ‘Wait, already?’” Damon recalled.
The conversation eventually led to Damon joining The Odyssey as Odysseus. The film reunites Damon and Nolan after their previous collaborations on Interstellar and Oppenheimer.
The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, and Samantha Morton. Nolan also explained to PEOPLE that he does not usually write characters specifically with certain actors in mind. While it may be tempting to imagine familiar performers during the writing process, he believes that can limit the characters.
“I try to just discover the characters through the process of writing,” Nolan said. The director explained that creating a role around a specific actor can sometimes lead to repeating things audiences have already seen from that performer.
“You’re writing to what you’ve seen an actor do before,” Nolan said. Instead, Nolan prefers to finish the script first and then decide which actors would be the best fit for each role. He described the casting process as one of the most enjoyable parts of filmmaking.
“You get to sit there and go, ‘Okay, I wonder what Matt’s doing this week or should I give Anne a call?’ And that’s the fun of it,” Nolan said.
With The Odyssey now playing in theaters, Damon’s story gives fans another look
at Nolan’s unique working style. From avoiding modern communication tools to carefully choosing his cast, the director continues to approach Hollywood in his own way.
Were you surprised to learn Christopher Nolan doesn’t use a phone?
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