Matt Damon is opening up about how achieving his dramatic physical transformation for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” “just kind of took over my life.”
The 55-year-old actor appeared nearly unrecognizable starring legendary Greek hero Odysseus in the mythological epic, which dominated the global box office after its July 17 release with a roughly $264 million opening weekend â the biggest debut of Nolan’s career.
During a recent appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark,” Damon revealed what it took to fulfill the 55-year-old director’s vision for the role.
“He said, ‘I just want him to look lean and strong like somebody who’s a veteran of the Trojan War and can handle himself, but wouldn’t pass up a meal if it was offered to him,'” Damon recalled Nolan telling him.
“And that’s kind of the hardest shape to get into, you know, that kind of lean-strong thing,” the actor added. “But it just kind of took over my life.”
In the movie, which is an adaptation of Homers epic poem “The Odyssey,” Odysseus spends 10 years trying to return home after fighting in the 10-year Trojan War, enduring shipwrecks, battles with monsters, starvation, imprisonment and constant physical hardship on his journey.
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Damon told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that he underwent an intense six-month process to realistically portray the weathered, battle-hardened warrior.
The “Good Will Hunting” referenced his January appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast “New Heights,” in which he revealed that he had slimmed down to his “high school” weight for the role. While speaking with the NFL stars, Damon shared, “I used to walk around between 185 and 200 pounds. And I did that whole movie at 167 pounds.”
“I was talking to the Kelce brothers on their podcast like six months ago, and we were talking about it,” he told Ripa and Consuelos. “It felt more like an athlete’s regimen, kind of like those guys who have to just dedicate every moment of their day to thinking about everything.”
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Damon described how he followed a routine in which food portions were measured and every aspect of his diet was carefully monitored.
“Everything’s weighed,” he said. “It’s just very, very intentional about everything.”
Damon also reflected on adopting a gluten-free diet to shed the pounds. He noted that he had not previously realized how many food and drink items contain gluten.
“It’s in a lot of things, but there are a lot of great things that it’s not in,” he said, before citing rice and potatoes.
However, Damon acknowl
