The countdown to the premiere of The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s classic. The film, one of the most anticipated of the year and which lasts no less than 172 minutes, places Matt Damon in the role of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who undertakes a long and eventful journey back home after the Trojan War. To bring this character to life, the 55-year-old American actor had to face especially demanding physical preparation.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Damon reveals some of the keys that allowed him to arrive at the shoot in top shape. Beyond the long hours in the gym, he assures that the real secret was in daily discipline and having a very clear objective. «The best way to stay in shape is to set a deadline. There’s nothing like a deadline,» he says. «Everything becomes a 24-hour job. You constantly think about what you eat, the rest you need and each workout.»
Discipline begins long before entering the gym
Damon is a very active person who seeks to stay in shape despite the weight of his years. Since his roles in the Bourne saga, the American actor trains between three and five days a week, with three mandatory strength sessions focused on different muscle groups: chest and triceps, shoulders and legs, and back and biceps. The routine combines supersets of compound and isolation exercises, plus circuits and other physical activities on days when you don’t weight train.
Still, The Odyssey required much more than building muscle mass. For months he followed a very strict routine in which nutrition, recovery and exercise were completely planned to help him lose fifteen kilos. “I focused a lot. The last thing you want is for your belly to appear on the first day of filming,” he jokes during the conversation.
Its preparation also coincided with a particularly complex shoot. Nolan opted, once again, for real settings and practical effects, which forced the team to travel to remote locations in Greece, Sicily or Iceland. “It is, by far, the biggest film I have participated in,” he says. «If you see a thousand people in a battle, it’s because there really are a thousand people there. There are no green screens or big digital effects.»
On many occasions, the day began with walks of more than twenty minutes to the stages carrying armor and some of the equipment. Damon remembers that on the first day he allowed a locker room member to carry his and immediately felt uncomfortable. «I saw that all the actors were wearing their own armor so the crew wouldn’t have to do it and I felt terrible. I apologized and told him it wouldn’t happen again.»
Learn to live with restrictions
No pasta, no pizza, no Italian sausages or cheeses. While working on Favignana, a small island off the coast of Sicily, Damon watched as the rest of the team enjoyed Italian cuisine without being able to join in. «I saw everyone eating fantastic pasta. It was real torture,» he admits with a laugh.
Even so, he assures that the environment created by Christopher Nolan made those sacrifices more bearable. «It seems more like an expedition than a movie. There is no special treatment for anyone. If you are wet and cold, he is five meters away from you exactly the same. That creates a very nice feeling that we are all rowing in the same direction.»
After more than three decades of career, Damon also admits that he has changed the way he experiences the profession. He no longer feels the constant need to look for the next project or the anxiety of his early years. “Now I’m much calmer,” he explains. That experience, together with the discipline he maintains when a role demands it, has allowed him to face one of the greatest physical challenges of his career and arrive at The Odyssey with the same determination that his character faces the return trip to Ithaca.
Paul Ortiz
