Matt Damon on The Odyssey, Aging, and Why He Hasn’t Directed
The Setup: Nolan Speaks (Behind Damon’s Back)
Before Matt Damon joined, Amy Poehler spoke with Christopher Nolan — who arrived in a suit, drinking Earl Grey tea, and radiating intimidating director energy. Nolan had one question he’d never gotten a straight answer on: “What hasnt’ Matt Directed?”
Nolan’s assessment:
He’s so knowledgeable. You get on set with him, he knows more about everything on set than anyone… He’s pretty in control of every aspect, holding in his head what everybody’s doing… He has such a clear ability to be able to step into that role if he wanted to. — Christopher Nolan
Nolan’s theory? Damon might have “such respect for what actors do” that he doesn’t “fancy sitting in the hot seat.”
On Competing With 3,000 Years of Imagination
When Amy asked Nolan how he competes with people’s preconceived ideas of The Odyssey, he was blunt: you can’t.
This is 3,000 years of people imagining everything. These words… you can’t compete with it. What we realized addressing the character of Batman… you have to trust that what people want from you is your most sincere attempt to do justice to the material… But it has to be your own interpretation. — Christopher Nolan
Why Damon? The “Lead From the Front” Partner
Nolan explained why Damon was his Odysseus: he needed someone with the empathetic ability to draw audiences into a character’s dilemma, but who could also project an iconic, almost superhero presence. More practically, Nolan needed a partner who would lead from the front and dive into the grueling physical demands without complaining.
You’re looking for that empathetic ability to draw the audience into a character’s dilemma. And he has that openness. He brings the audience with him, but he also can project an iconic, frankly, superhero presence. — Christopher Nolan
From a practical point of view, you can’t have an Odysseus complaining that it’s cold or it’s late. — Christopher Nolan
The shoot was so demanding that even Damon — in peak condition — had his “bare bicep days are over” moment at the wardrobe fitting when Nolan discovered his tasteful tattoo. Nolan’s response: “I think they’re just beginning.”
The Physical Toll: “Odyssey 5” and Going Gluten-Free
Damon described the shoot as the hardest movie he’s ever done — but also surprisingly joyful. The crew dubbed it the “Odyssey 5” — if you got five hours of sleep, you were thrilled. There were four-hour nights. There were no-hour nights. Damon had two nights where he simply couldn’t sleep, then panicked because the next day required lifting rocks through mud.
The physical prep required a complete lifestyle overhaul. No planning around workouts — everything went away except the shoot. And one unexpected change that stuck: going gluten-free.
Damon didn’t realize how much gluten was affecting him until he cut it out. Yes, he’s a big fan of bread, beer, pasta, and pizza — but how he feels now is so much better that the trade-off was worth it.
No gluten, which changed my life… I didn’t realize the level to which it was affecting me. It’s completely changed my life these last couple years… I’m a big fan of bread, but how I feel is just so much better. — Matt Damon
Shooting in Zeus’s Cave With a 60-Foot Puppet
Damon described the shoot as more like an expedition than a movie. The crew would hike to Zeus’s cave — they say it’s where Zeus was born — where the rigging team had basically turned it into a sound stage. Every time Damon showed up, he’d start laughing: You got to be kidding me. We’re going up there?
The Cyclops scene was shot in an actual cave with a giant puppet (Bill Irwin’s face inside). Nolan does as little CGI as humanly possible, which means the crew figured out how to do almost everything in-camera. When Damon realized they were shooting with a 60-foot puppet in a cave nobody would be crazy enough to try, he just started laughing.
Aging, Calm, and the Pursuit of Joy
At this stage of life, Damon says there’s a greater sense of calm. When he and Ben Affleck started their company together a few years ago, it was partly because they realized this was their dream — the thing they wanted to do when they were literal children. They should make every single movie they can together.
The 40+ year friendship is built on deep, abiding love and respect that’s never in question. When you’re working creatively with someone you trust that much, you’re not worried about their feelings. The allegiance is to the thing you’re making, and you’re both humble enough to know you might be wrong.
I think the place we’re at now, at least speaking for myself, is a place of greater sense of calm.
When Ben and I started a company together a few years ago, it was partly because we were like, ‘What are we doing? This is the most joyful — our dream that we had when we were kids, literally children together. We should make every single movie we can together. — Matt Damon
On the 40+ year friendship with Ben Affleck:
We’ve experienced so much of life together. It’s not a friendship that could ever be replicated just because we grew up together… Working together is one of the great things about writing with him was always the fact that there was a deep and abiding love and respect underneath everything that was never in question. — Matt Damon
The Robin Williams Story: “He Stole My Line”
The final line of Good Will Hunting wasn’t in the script. Robin Williams was just supposed to come out, read a letter, and the camera would sit on him for as long as he wanted. After about 15 takes, Williams improvised the now-iconic line: “Son of a bitch, he stole my line.”
Damon grabbed director Gus Van Sant immediately — you know when a piece of dialogue falls from heaven. Williams must have known it too, because he went back in and did it five or six more times. Damon couldn’t get to Ben Affleck fast enough to tell him what just happened. The second Affleck heard it, he knew: that’s it.
The last line of the movie was not written. He was just supposed to come out and read a letter… We left the camera rolling… He must have done 15 takes… On like the ninth take, he opened the door and he looked and he read the letter and he said, ‘Son of a bitch, he stole my line.’ — Matt Damon
I grabbed Gus. You know when a piece of dialogue falls from heaven and you just know? Robin went back in and he did it five, six more times. He came back and I just couldn’t get to Ben fast enough to tell him, ‘You’re not going to believe what he said.’ — Matt Damon
But Robin must have known because it came out of him. — Matt Damon
Philip Seymour Hoffman: “When You’re Working With a Great Actor, They’re Great Enough for Both of You”
On working with Hoffman in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Damon recalled a month of rehearsal where they got to know each other. But on the day they shot the killing scene, Damon hated him — because Hoffman had built that energy deliberately. It was like a Marvel superhero coming out of him.
When you’re working with a great actor, they’re great enough for both of you. It’s like just paddle into the wave and stand up. That’s it. You just get transported. — Matt Damon
Steven Soderberg: “You’re in the Wrong Movie”
Damon shared a story from The Informant! about a scene where his character had to apologize to an entire town. He got legitimately choked up — real emotion, not acting. He got through it and thought he nailed it.
Soderberg walked over and said: “No. You’re in the wrong movie.”
Damon’s response: “Oh, okay. Get me in the right movie.” Soderberg thought for a second, then gave him new direction: do it like an awards acceptance speech. The character wasn’t admitting guilt — he was basking in everyone being there for him.
The only excuse an actor has — and it’s a legitimate excuse — if you suck in a movie is: ‘I didn’t know what movie I was in.’ — Matt Damon
Why He Hasn’t Directed (Yet)
Damon addressed Nolan’s question directly. He almost directed Promised Land in 2012, but ran long on another movie and would have had to fly home, drop his bags, and leave again. So he bowed out and called Gus Van Sant, who stepped in. As a producer, Damon made the movie better.
Then there was Manchester by the Sea, which Damon and John Krasinski commissioned Kenny Lonergan to write. Damon was going to direct and play the lead. But five weeks before shooting, they still didn’t have a production office open. Damon called Lonergan: “I’m putting you in a position to fail here. Let’s take a breath.”
Damon ended up with no work for two years. Lonergan was ready to go. Damon gave the role to Casey Affleck — they’d all done the play together in London. Affleck won the Oscar.
I almost directed a couple things. I almost directed Promised Land in 2012, but I ran long on another movie and I would have had to come home, put my bags down, and leave again. So I bowed out and called Gus Van Sant who then stepped in and directed it. As a producer, I made the movie better, right?”
SNL Memories and the “Dr. Matt Damon” Sketch
Damon hosted SNL multiple times, including a 2002 episode with Bruce Springsteen as musical guest (his real motivation for accepting). Amy pulled up a sketch Damon had no memory of:
The premise: Everyone’s name is some variation of “Matt Damon.”
Amy: “Are you Matt Damon?”
Damon (in sketch): “Uh, yeah.”
Amy: “That’s amazing. The Ice Man.”
Damon: “Oh, really? They’re Dr. Matt Damon. Yeah, I’m the chief of oncology, not science.”
Amy: “Okay. So he’s a doctor. Matt Damon.”
Damon: “Matt Damon.”
Amy: “Matt. Matt Damon. Matt Damon. Matt.”
Damon: “So stupid.”
The punchline? Dr. Julius Irving shows up at the end. Damon: “I don’t think it played that well.” Amy: “I thought it was funny.” Damon: “I know.”
Comfort Watches, Daughters, and Water.org
Comfort watch: Will Ferrell movies. “In our house, you kind of can’t go wrong with him. Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory — we’ve watched them again and again.”
On his four daughters: “They’re my favorite people. I grew up with just a brother and it was just a side of the human experience that I just didn’t have access to. I got that in the next chapter of my life and it’s just been beautiful.”
Water.org: Damon’s global nonprofit (co-founded with Gary White) has reached 92 million people through microloans for clean water and sanitation:
Had we stayed with drilling wells, it would have taken us 600 years to get to where we are right now. So it’s scaling. It’s a sustainable solution. — Matt Damon
Look for “Get Blue” products at Gap, Starbucks (blue matcha, coconut refresher), and more — proceeds go to water.org.
Reality TV Guilty Pleasure: Temptation Island
Damon’s latest watch? Temptation Island — which he stumbled upon while waiting for Love Island to come on with his kids and friends. Four unmarried couples travel to a tropical island to have their fidelity tested. Hot singles are brought in to tempt them.
Damon’s take: the guys come in ripping their shirts off, saying things like “You made a mistake bringing her here, bro.” Within 30 seconds, you see them crack. “What is a man supposed to do?”
From a writing perspective, Damon’s verdict: we’re gonna need a little more conflict. It would be sad for that casting if everyone stayed faithful.
Quick Hits
- On the Red Sox 2004 win: Damon was shooting Syriana in Dubai. George Clooney (a producer) immediately rescheduled so Damon could fly home to watch the clincher against the Yankees. “Once we won that game, I knew I had to watch every single moment on that couch by myself because that was the lucky.”
- On leaving Harvard: “I was two weeks away from the end of the semester. I’d done everything. All I had to do was take the finals. But the rule was you had to take your finals at the exact moment they were offered in Cambridge. I’m number five on the call sheet. You think I’m going to shut a movie down for three hours, four different times? I just had to eat the semester.”
- On his professor’s encouragement: “I went to the guy and I said, ‘I think I failed your class, but this is the first act of a movie.’ He read it and he gave me a straight A and he just said, ‘Don’t stop. Keep going.’ That was when I just took it out and showed it to Ben.”
- On George Clooney’s pranks: After Amy and Tina Fey joked at the Golden Globes that Clooney was now a “garbage person” for being in TV, Clooney sent them a strongly worded letter on fake Matt Damon stationery. Damon: “I was so bewildered. We were like, ‘We think this is a prank.'”
Final Thoughts
Damon on The Odyssey as a meditation on aging: he and Amy are the same age, and the film captures this moment in life where there’s a past with all its wreckage — joy, love, drama, trauma — and a really hard present where you’re taking care of aging parents and kids. And then there’s the question: are we still the version of ourselves that people think we are?
That’s what Damon loves about the script. Chris Nolan is an underrated writer, and thematically, this touches on so much. To different people, it means completely different things depending on where they are in life.
A Navy SEAL who worked on the film turned to me one day and said, ‘I think this is the best movie about PTSD that I’ve ever read or seen.’ I think it depends on where you are and where you’ve been. That’s why The Odyssey has survived for 3,000 years — because everybody who encounters it encounters it at a different place in their life and it’s got some resonance for them. — Matt Damon
Watch: The Odyssey (dir. Christopher Nolan, starring Matt Damon)
Support: water.org
Listen: The full episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler
This recap is based on Matt Damon’s appearance on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast. For the full episode, click on the YouTube link at the top or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
