Matt Damon says Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ was ‘the hardest movie’ he has ever made

Matt Damon has described his experience working on Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ as the hardest of his career, offering a candid glimpse into the demanding nature of the highly anticipated production. The actor had taken a break from filming to spend time with rescue dogs at the Eastwood Ranch Foundation’s Animal Rescue and Adoption Facility in Los Angeles, where he opened up about the project.Speaking at the California Adopt-A-Pet Day event on June 6, Damon said, “It was by far the hardest movie I’ve ever made. Chris likes to shoot everything real. So there’s no kind of green screen, no faking it, no kind of studio stuff.”

Why ‘The Odyssey’ was so demanding to make

Nolan’s commitment to practical filmmaking is well established. He famously built revolving sets to shoot a dream sequence in ‘Inception’ and used practical effects to recreate an explosion and mushroom cloud for a nuclear test in ‘Oppenheimer’. For ‘The Odyssey’, the director has once again relied on real locations and practical effects to recreate ancient Greece, a decision that clearly pushed the cast to their limits.

What is ‘The Odyssey’ about

‘The Odyssey’ is an upcoming mythic action epic written, directed, and co-produced by Nolan, based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem. The film follows Odysseus on a ten-year journey home to Ithaca after the fall of Troy. Damon plays Odysseus in the title role, leading an extraordinary ensemble cast that includes Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy.The casting of Nyong’o as Helen sparked a wave of racist backlash online, which the actress addressed directly, saying she was unbothered and focused entirely on giving her best performance. The film also faced scrutiny over the casting of Elliot Page, with rumours claiming he had been cast as the warrior Achilles, drawing criticism from several quarters, including Elon Musk.‘The Odyssey’ is set for release on July 17, 2026.