Matt Damon is willing to take the risk for viewers’ entertainment, but only to a point!
The actor is sharing his experiences on the set of “The Odyssey” and how physically demanding it was for him, although he does not see himself going that far anymore.
Matt Damon is featured alongside several Hollywood talents, including Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Anne Hathaway, in Christopher Nolan’s latest flick.
The media personality noted that to achieve excellence for his character, he had to drop a whopping 167 pounds. According to Damon, the change did not happen in an unhealthy way, and if he had actually put on 167 pounds for a movie role, it would have had a different outcome. In his words:
“I think if I had done the opposite and put weight on, that would have been dangerous, and it’s not something I’ll do anymore. I was happy to do it earlier in my life.”
The actor added that he also had to cut out gluten, get really fit, and change his diet and lifestyle. Damon explained to PEOPLE in the exclusive interview that intentionality played a huge role in achieving his goals for the character Odysseus, who said off for 20 years to return to his wife.
Luckily for the actor, everyone on the set of “The Odyssey” positively inspired him every day while they shot movies on various locations across Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Italy and Morocco.
The Actor’s Rating Of His New Movie On A Scale Of Ten
Damon did not mince words in expressing how much the movie challenged him in ways he had never been before. The actor recalled those involved completely “maxing out and straining against what they thought was possible.”
He stressed that shooting the movie felt more like an expedition than a movie because everybody went through similar experiences and it felt like a family on that set.
Despite the hectic conditions on set, the actor recalled an immense sense of pride at the end of long shooting periods and taking consolation in the beautiful result during the period of rest.
Damon got the verdict that crowned it all, and that was from his daughter who turned to him after watching “The Odyssey” on the TV screen, lauding him for a job well done.
Matt Damon Reflected On One Of His Biggest Hollywood Mistakes
Three years ago, The Blast shared that the actor opened up about feeling intense regret during an interview about “Avatar.” In the sit-down discussion with “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana, Damon expressed regret over his decision to turn down a role in the 2009 installment of the franchise.
Damon then praised the actress for amassing a $2 billion box-office career, as he revealed that he had turned down a role in “Avatar” to gross $673 million at the box office for “Interstellar.” Saldana’s archive with the franchise includes the original “Avatar,” its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and Avengers films like “Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
The actor added that he would earn $250 million for the role of Jake Sully, which was eventually played by Sam Worthington. While Damon mourned his decision to reject the offer, Saldana assured him that his personality and experience could not be maligned.
The ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Actor Once Stepped Away From Hollywood
Damon, during his interview with The Talks, revealed that he stepped back from the busy life of Hollywood after his father died in 2016. He moved back to Boston in September 2016, losing his dad in December the same year, leading him to take that year and 2017 off.
After doing five movies back to back “The Martian,” “Jason Bourne,” “The Great Wall,” “Suburbicon,” and “Downsizing,” he promised his family he would take the year off and ended up spending it with his father in the hospital. On his return two years later, Damon concluded that the movie business had indeed changed from what it had been 20 years earlier.
With the phasing out of the DVD market, he stated that it has cut the business in half, leading to the extinction of those genres of movies. Despite stepping away from the scene for a bit, Damon asserted that filmmaking still has his heart because it appeals to the impulse to tell people stories.
The actor confirmed that art is the best way to tell each other stories, and it will always remain his preferred way to communicate with the world. He continued by saying that he can see directing in his future and may even diversify into writing more in the next decade.
How Matt Damon’s Wife Got Him Back On Track During A Depression Episode
During a press round for “Oppenheimer,” the actor admitted that he had been in his feelings for a long time after a previous movie turned out differently from what he had pictured. Damon recalled slipping into depression halfway through production and kept battling with the guilt of inconveniencing his family.
Luckily for Damon, his wife saw a different perspective on how he was feeling, and urged him to give it absolutely everything he had, even when it seemed like a lost mission. Damon was reportedly referring to “The Great Wall,” which recouped only $50 million of its $150 million production budget in the United States.
As for his “Oppenheimer” feature, the movie grossed $976 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2023. It made $311.2 million domestically and $542.8 million at the international box office.
