'I Said Yes Before Christopher Nolan Even Told Me What It Was': Matt Damon On Joining The Odyssey

Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The early reviews of the upcoming film have been positive. Nolan will host the first Hollywood premiere of his epic, India. It will have special screenings on July 10 and 11 in Mumbai. The filmmaker and his ensemble cast will visit the country before the movie hits global theatres on July 17.

Matt Damon plays the lead role of Odysseus in Nolan's adaptation of Homer's classic poem.

Matt Damon said yes instantly to The Odyssey

Damon said 'yes' to the project instantly, accepting the role before hearing the full pitch due to his absolute trust in the director.

"I said yes before he even told me what it was," Damon recalled. "Chris said, 'Don't you want to hear the pitch?' I said, 'Okay, sure.' And he said two words: The Odyssey."

Nolan said that Damon was the only choice to portray the Greek hero. "I needed Matt because I needed someone who had extraordinary talent and an incredible connection with the audience, and he was just in the right place in his life and career to play this part," Nolan said.

The director described the character as a complex figure demanding a delicate balance of traits. "Odysseus is somebody with great imagination and wisdom, but he has a weary quality, too. It is a mature role with a lot of complexity to it and very difficult to play, but Matt really sunk his teeth into it," said the Oppenheimer director.

Nolan praises Damon

Nolan credited the actor with bringing positive energy to the crew and effectively managing the environmental stress of the shoot.

"I needed someone who was not just willing to go on a rigorous journey but help lead it. Matt brings such positive energy to everything he does."

"He is able to channel the angst of difficult shooting circumstances into a character. He is an incredible motivator and a wonderful example to the rest of the cast and crew. The film would have been unthinkable without him," he added.

Damon said he studied both the original Greek poem and the new script and was stunned by how Nolan maintained the core of the epic while creating a modern cinematic experience.

"It reminded me of his script for Oppenheimer, because that film was also drawn from a dense, substantial book, and he found an amazing way to distill it to its essentials without losing any of its plot, themes or richness," Damon said.

"Chris has restructured the narrative in an artful way that gives it real economy, and the themes he emphasises give it a distinct identity and meaning. But it is still very much Homer's Odyssey. It also has a strong emotional core and through-line that feels deeply personal. There is a universality in its specificity that I think will move anyone. The themes certainly resonated with my own life. It was an incredible piece of writing," he added.