Matt Damon is willing to take risks for the entertainment of viewers, but only up to a certain point!
The actor shares his experience filming “The Odyssey” and how physically demanding it was for him, even though he doesn’t see himself going that far again.
Matt Damon is featured alongside several Hollywood talents, including Zendaya, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway, in Christopher Nolan’s latest film.
Matt Damon says he will never gain weight for a role again
The media personality noted that to achieve excellence for his character, he had to lose 167 pounds. According to Damon, the change didn’t happen in an unhealthy way, and if he had actually gained 167 pounds for a movie role, the outcome would have been different. In his words:
“I think if I had done the opposite and gained weight, it 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 in shape and change his diet and lifestyle. Damon told PEOPLE in the exclusive interview that intentionality played a huge role in achieving his goals for the character Ulysses, who gave up 20 years to return to his wife.
Luckily for the actor, everyone on the set of “The Odyssey” positively inspired him every day as they filmed in various locations in Iceland, Scotland, Greece, Italy and Morocco.
The actor’s rating of his new film on a scale of ten
Damon minced no words in expressing how the film challenged him in ways he had never been challenged before. The actor recalled that those involved “thoroughly put their all into it and tried hard to do what they thought was possible.”
He pointed out that making the film felt more like an expedition than a film because everyone had similar experiences and it was like a family on that set.
Despite the hectic conditions on set, the actor recalled an immense feeling of pride at the end of the long periods of filming and took comfort in the beautiful result during the rest period.
Damon got the verdict that capped it all off, and that of his daughter who turned to him after watching “The Odyssey” on the television screen, congratulating him on a job well done.
Matt Damon reflected on one of his biggest Hollywood mistakes
Three years ago, The Blast shared that the actor said he felt intense regret during an interview on “Avatar.” While chatting 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 racking up a career-high $2 billion at the box office, revealing that he turned down a role in “Avatar” for a $673 million box office gross 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 ultimately played by Sam Worthington. As Damon mourned his decision to reject the offer, Saldana assured him that his character and experience could not be maligned.
The Ocean’s Eleven actor once walked away from Hollywood
Damon, during his interview with The Talks, revealed that he retired from the fast-paced life of Hollywood after the death of his father in 2016. He returned to Boston in September 2016, losing his father in December of the same year, which led him to take time off that year and 2017.
After making five consecutive films, “The Martian,” “Jason Bourne,” “The Great Wall,” “Suburbicon” and “Downsizing,” he promised his family he would take a year off and ended up spending it with his father in the hospital. Upon his return two years later, Damon concluded that the movie business had indeed changed from what it was 20 years earlier.
With the DVD market phasing out, he said it cut the business in half, leading to the extinction of those genres of films. Even though he stepped away from the stage for a bit, Damon said cinema still had his heart because it appealed to people’s desire to tell stories.
The actor confirmed that art is the best way to tell stories and will always remain his favorite way to communicate with the world. He went on to say that he could see directing in his future and that he might even branch out more into writing in the next decade.
How Matt Damon’s Wife Got Him Back on Track During a Depressive Episode
During a press conference for “Oppenheimer,” the actor admitted that he had been in his feelings for a long time after a previous film turned out different from what he had imagined. Damon remembers falling into depression midway through production and continued to struggle with guilt for upsetting his family.
Luckily for Damon, his wife saw a different perspective on what he was feeling and urged him to give absolutely everything he had, even if it seemed like a losing mission. Damon was reportedly referring to “The Great Wall,” which only made $50 million of its $150 million production budget in the United States.
As for his feature film “Oppenheimer,” the film grossed $976 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2023. It grossed $311.2 million domestically and $542.8 million at the international box office.