The actor stars as the lead character Odysseus in the forthcoming film, which hits theaters on July 17
Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty ; Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
NEED TO KNOW
- Matt Damon did not get any “special treatment” while filming The Odyssey, he tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview
- “If you’re out on a boat in the middle of the ocean and you get caught in a storm, you get wet with everybody else,” the actor explains
- Damon stars as lead character Odysseus in the forthcoming film, which hits theaters on July 17
Despite his massive star power as an in-demand A-lister, Matt Damon was treated just the same as everyone else while working on The Odyssey.
“There was no special treatment,” the actor, 55, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. “If you're out on a boat in the middle of the ocean and you get caught in a storm, you get wet with everybody else.”
“Nobody's getting a hot beverage that you're not getting. You know what I mean? Everybody's on equal footing, including Chris, who was just as cold and wet as everybody else throughout the whole thing,” he continues, referring to director Christopher Nolan.
“So that made it feel like we were really all in it together, because we were,” adds Damon. “I do feel really bonded with everybody who was on that movie, cast and crew, because it was so challenging for everyone."
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Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Studios
Damon — who recently launched a new initiative, Get Blue, with his nonprofit, Water.org — stars in The Odyssey as the lead character, Odysseus. The film follows the story of Homer's ancient Greek poem of the same name.
He is joined by a slew of other major stars, including Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.
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The saga unfolds across 24 non-linear books and follows the 10-year journey of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, as he returns home after the Trojan War.
Nolan, 55, is fresh off his 2024 Academy Award wins for Best Picture and Best Achievement in Directing for 2023's Oppenheimer. (He has gained recognition for writing and directing acclaimed films such as 2010's Inception, 2014's Interstellar and 2020's Tenet.)
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty
According to Damon, “Every single day of filming that movie stands out because it felt more like an expedition than a film.”
“It was so difficult to get the shots that we got, the way that we got them, that it really required every single person on that cast and crew to just completely max out day after day after day,” he continues.
“I came away from that experience just feeling really lucky and grateful that I got to be a part of a team like that, because it never could have worked if everybody hadn't completely just pushed themselves beyond what they thought they could do,” Damon further explains. “So I'm really excited for people to see it. It's worth their money for what it took for us to make it. You'll be getting your money's worth.”
The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17.
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