Matt Damon: ‘Middle-aged’ cast of The Odyssey had back pain during filming
By Sean O'Grady, Press Association Deputy Entertainment Editor
Matt Damon has said the “middle-aged” cast of The Odyssey suffered from back pain while filming the action-packed blockbuster.
The actor, 55, stars as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic as he makes the journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Speaking on Radio Andy with host Andy Cohen, Damon told how the cast were also left with cuts on their feet due to the sandals they wore for the ancient setting.
He said: “A lot of us are middle-aged people and what we got was back pain.
“Oh my God, running through Troy, like, you know, it’s all stone.
“You’re in these sandals and they’re very real. Our feet were all scuffed up.
“But more than the scratches and cuts on your feet, it was the back pain for us.
“It was a heavy Advil movie in those weeks when we were doing all that action stuff.”
Damon underwent a physical transformation for the film, dropping his weight to 167 pounds (76 kilograms) and growing a beard for a year before production.
He told People magazine: “It was more about just getting really, really physically fit.
“Which just really involves changing your diet. I stopped eating gluten, among other things.
“You have to just be very, very intentional about everything you put in your body.”
The cast also includes John Leguizamo, 66; Jon Bernthal, 49; Samantha Morton, 49; and Anne Hathaway, 43.
The Odyssey has received acclaim from critics, with some hailing it as Nolan’s best film to date.
It also set a record as his biggest box office debut, taking $264 million, according to Universal Pictures.
