Matt Damon shared that a female stunt performer served as his double for key scenes in the film The Odyssey. He noted that the performer had “the greatest arms he has ever seen” while discussing the technical challenges of filming the production.

Damon explained the process during a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Deadline reported. He described how the team managed the forced perspective sequences involving the giant Laestrygonians. The production utilized stunt performers who were seven feet tall alongside others who stood under five feet to create the necessary scale.

Damon said, “When we did the force perspective stuff with the Laestrygonians… there were these stuntmen who were all seven feet, and then they got stunt men who were under five feet.” He added, “My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.”

He recalled the moment he approached her to express his appreciation for her physical dedication to the role. “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 put in,” Damon stated. Although Damon performed the majority of the arm work seen on screen, he expressed a clear respect for her contributions to the film. He noted, “There are those shots where you see these giants looming over me [and that’s her],” and concluded, “It was almost 100% my arms in the movie, but you got to give it up where it’s due.”

The Odyssey has already made a massive impact at the box office. The film achieved a global opening weekend total of $264.1M. This performance marks a new record for director Christopher Nolan, surpassing the $249M global premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, which debuted in 2012. The momentum shows no signs of slowing down, as the film secured the best Monday of the year in the U.S. with a total of $18.67M. Projections indicate that Tuesday will add another $20M to that figure.

Alongside Damon, the cast features Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. Other notable performers appearing in the movie include Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, and Lupita Nyong’o. The combination of this star-studded ensemble and the technical precision used to film the giants has evidently resonated with audiences during the opening week.

Seeing how these complex scenes were executed highlights the intense physical effort required from both the main actors and the stunt team to pull off a project of this scale.

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