Ahead of the July 17th release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Matt Damon appeared on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast to share more about what it was like working on the film, particularly the weight loss journey he underwent to prepare for his role. Damon plays Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, in the film, a character that required him to get “jacked,” as he put it. Keep reading for more information.
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Matt Damon Details His Weight Loss Journey For 'The Odyssey'
At age 55, Damon admitted that it's not as simple to change the composition of your body as it was when he was in his twenties and thirties, saying it requires a "complete lifestyle change."
"Just put your foot on the gas and that’s it," he explained on the July 5th episode of Poehler's podcast. "That’s the only way to do it … and eat a little less."
Damon also shared that he cut out gluten from his diet, and the positive effects have gone beyond just sculpted abs. "I didn’t realize the level to which it was affecting me," he said. "It’s completely changed my life these last couple years of not eating it."
Although he did say he misses some of his favorite foods—"I'm a big fan of bread and beer, pasta and pizza and all that stuff," he added.
The preparation and filming for The Odyssey was not easy, Damon explained. He recalled nights where he barely slept: "On this movie, me and the [production assistants], we had this joke called the 'Odyssey Five.' If you could get five hours, you were thrilled."
"That's not a lot of sleep, but it was enough," he continued. "I did realize that five was the cutoff because there were some four nights, there were some no nights … I had two nights where I did not sleep because I got home and I was overly tired. And then I just did that thing where I’m just sitting there and I missed the window and now I’m panicking."
"It was hard," he added. "It was hard for everybody though. That's what made it wonderful."
