- Matt Damon plays Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
- The actor recently opened up about his experience of working on the film.
- He said he approached the film like it could be his last projec
Matt Damon is treating The Odyssey like it could be the final big chapter of his acting career. The 55-year-old, who plays Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's ambitious adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic, has now opened up about just how personal the experience has been for him.
“There aren't a lot of people in their mid-50s as protagonists in these epics,” Damon told TIME magazine. “I looked at this like the last movie I'd ever do.”
This mindset, he explained, pushed him to fully commit to the massive production. The film, besides Damon, also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron in the key roles.
Damon also made it clear that it was Nolan's commitment to practical filmmaking that set his latest venture apart. According to him, “Movies like this are not getting made anymore.” He added, “To do this without a green screen, the way that David Lean would have done it, I don't know anybody, with the exception of Chris, that's even trying to do that.”
The actor praised Nolan's approach on set, saying the Oscar-winning director never asked the cast to do something he would not do himself. “When you're uncomfortable — and you are most of the time, physically, just by nature of what's required to get these shots — if you turn and look over your shoulder, he's no more than five feet away and doing the same thing without complaint,” Damon shared.
Damon added, “There's something really nice about being a soldier in the foxhole and looking over and the general is right next to you.”
Meanwhile, Tom Holland also revealed that he actually signed onto The Odyssey before even reading the script. Speaking on Good Morning America, the actor described landing the project as “the phone call of a lifetime.”
Holland said, “It was reminiscent of getting the call about 'Spider-Man' 10 years ago.” The actor added, “It's an amazing thing for me. I'm super proud and I'm really, really excited.”
The Odyssey is set to release on July 17, 2026.