- Christopher Nolan sent a production assistant to Germany to hand-deliver the Interstellar script to Matt Damon
- Matt Damon was filming The Monuments Men in rural Germany when he received Nolan's script in person
- The assistant had never traveled outside the US and explored rural Germany while waiting for Damon
Christopher Nolan and his unique filmmaking style need no introduction. The celebrated filmmaker's magnum opus, The Odyssey, released in India today. During the film's promotions, lead actor Matt Damon recalled a fascinating event that happened before he started shooting Interstellar. He was filming The Monuments Men with George Clooney in rural Germany when he received word that Nolan had a role for him in an upcoming film. Instead of sending the script by mail, Nolan sent a production assistant to Germany where Damon was shooting.
“They sent a guy, a PA, to Germany hand-carrying the script because they wouldn't send it in the mail,” Damon said on The Rich Eisen Show.
The actor explained that the assistant arrived around 9 p.m., but Damon had an early-morning shoot and couldn't read the script until the following evening. Because of strict security measures, the assistant wasn't allowed to leave the script behind.
“He goes, ‘I can't leave the script,'” Damon recalled. “I said, ‘I'm going to be home at 6 p.m. tomorrow night. I'll sit down immediately and read the script then.'”
According to Damon, the unexpected delay turned into an adventure for the production assistant, who had never traveled outside the United States before.
Matt Damon says Christopher Nolan flew a production assistant to rural Germany with The Interstellar script because it wasn't allowed to leave his possession
— Yonan (@yonann) July 17, 2026
“They sent a production assistant to Germany hand carrying the script because they wouldn't send it in the mail”
“He… pic.twitter.com/QhKfFMBV3B
“He had the best day,” Damon said. “He went around rural Germany.”
When Damon finally read the script the next day, it left a deep impression on him.
“My kids were little. I was away from my kids that week because I was in Germany, and I was a puddle reading that script,” he said. “I've never reacted to a script that way.”
Damon ultimately joined Interstellar in the surprise role of Dr. Mann, one of the film's biggest twists.
Matt Damon plays King Odysseus in The Odyssey.
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed the film and is producing it alongside Emma Thomas. The project is backed by Universal. The Odyssey was shot using new IMAX technology and is the first feature ever made entirely using IMAX's largest film format. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, and others.
