Matt Damon says preparing for his demanding role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” required “a complete lifestyle change” now that he’s in his 50s.
Damon, 55, has long been associated with action-heavy roles, including Jason Bourne, a character he first played at age 30.
Amy Poehler asked Damon about the difference in preparing for the roles during his appearance on her podcast, “Good Hang,” which was released Tuesday.
“It’s one thing running and punching in ‘Bourne’ in your 30s; it’s way different to be getting jacked in your 50s,” Poehler said.
“It’s just a complete, a complete lifestyle change,” Damon said. “There’s no planning it. Any other time I tried to do something like that, it was always like, ‘well, I’ll time my workouts…’ — this was like, ‘No.'”
“Just put your foot on the gas, and that’s it,” he added. “That’s the only way to do it — and eat a little less.”
‘A complete lifestyle change’
Syncopy/Universal Pictures
Among his changes for the role, Damon gave up gluten, a decision he said “completely changed my life.”
The actor previously said the diet — in addition to working with a trainer for the film — got him down to his high-school weight.
Other changes weren’t by choice. Damon told Poehler the filming process was detrimental to his sleep, with the production team joking about what they called “the ‘Odyssey’ Five.”
“If you could get five hours [of sleep], you were thrilled,” he said.
A couple of nights, he was too tired to sleep at all because of the day’s strenuous filming, he said.
‘The Odyssey’ pushed its actors to their limits
On Poehler’s podcast, Damon, who plays the lead, Odysseus, in “The Odyssey,” said every actor had to go through “physical discomfort” due to the demands of different scenes, which depict characters in physical labor and among adverse environmental conditions.
“Every single person around you was weathering those same difficulties and pushing themselves,” Damon said.
The Oscar-winning actor described a scene shot in a cave, believed to be one of the possible birthplaces of Zeus in Greek mythology. Rather than using CGI, Nolan chose to film in difficult-to-reach places that Damon said “nobody would be crazy enough to try to shoot in.”
The film was shot in various countries and regions, including Italy, Greece, Iceland, Scotland, and Western Sahara.
Other actors in the film have also shared the challenges of working on the project. Zendaya said she was unable to open her mouth because of freezing temperatures while filming in Iceland, per Variety.
Despite the discomfort, Damon told Poehler it was “one of the great roles of all time” and getting to be a part of the team was “one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
“It felt more like an expedition than a movie,” he said.
