Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The The Odyssey actor shared that an intense workout regimen and disciplined diet helped him slim down to his lowest weight since high school while preparing to portray Odysseus.
Matt Damon says he is no longer willing to subject his body to risky physical transformations for the sake of a film, explaining that age has changed the way he approaches demanding roles.
The 55-year-old Oscar-winning actor, who stars as the legendary Greek hero Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, spoke with People about the preparation required for the role. Damon said that while he was once open to drastic weight changes for acting, he no longer believes those extreme measures are worth the potential health risks.
He explained that gaining a significant amount of weight would have been unsafe at this stage of his life, even though he had taken on similar physical challenges when he was younger.
Instead of altering his body through extreme weight gain, Damon concentrated on improving his fitness by following a disciplined nutrition plan. He said achieving the desired physique required paying close attention to everything he ate.
Earlier this year, Damon also discussed his transformation on the New Heights podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce. After Jason commented on the actor’s noticeably muscular appearance in behind-the-scenes photos, Damon revealed that he had actually lost a considerable amount of weight for the role.
According to Damon, director Christopher Nolan envisioned Odysseus as someone who looked lean yet physically powerful. To match that image, the actor adopted a strict training routine and made major adjustments to his eating habits.
One of the biggest changes, Damon said, was eliminating gluten from his diet on the advice of his doctor. Before the transformation, he typically weighed between 185 and 200 pounds. During filming, however, he maintained a weight of around 167 pounds—the lightest he had been since his high school years.
Damon credited his dramatic weight loss to months of intensive exercise combined with a highly controlled diet, which enabled him to achieve the physique Nolan wanted without resorting to more dangerous methods.
