Matt Damon Had a Female Stunt Double in 'The Odyssey' Action Scenes

Anyone watching The Odyssey will notice several details that stand out thanks to the production’s sheer scale — and the behind-the-scenes stories help explain some of them. One of the topics most discussed by fans is Matt Damon’s physical transformation to play Odysseus. In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor revealed that some of the praise should also go to his stunt double, a woman who stood in for him in certain scenes in the film.

Damon said the stunt double took part in sequences that use perspective effects, such as the confrontation against the giant Laestrygonians: “My [stunt] double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen", he said. "When she came into the catering tent, it was the first time I met her, I went up and hugged her and thanked her for all the work she had put in". 

Everything you need to know about The Odyssey

Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is yet another adaptation of Homer’s classic heroic poem, a continuation of The Iliad that tells the story of Odysseus, who spends 10 years trying to return home to Ithaca after the victory in the Trojan War. Enraged, the god of the sea, Poseidon, does everything he can to keep him from returning to his wife, Penelope.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus. Anne Hathaway plays the character’s wife, Penelope. Meanwhile, Tom Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, with Zendaya playing the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra — or Clitenestra —, Agamemnon’s wife. 

The Odyssey is now playing in theaters.