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Did you know Matt Damon’s stunt double in 'The Odyssey' was a woman?
The actor recently opened up about the painstaking practical techniques behind one of the epic's biggest sequences
- PUBLISHED: Thu 23 Jul 2026, 12:45 PM
Matt Damon recently shared a behind-the-scenes detail from Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey that is getting plenty of attention. One of his stunt doubles was, in fact, a woman. The actor revealed that Canadian stunt performer Devyn Dalton stepped in for him during a major Laestrygonians sequence in the film.
Speaking on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Damon explained that the production used forced perspective to make the giant Laestrygonians appear towering and intimidating on screen.
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The actor, who plays Odysseus in Nolan’s mythical epic, said every shot was meticulously choreographed to emphasise the vast difference in scale, with Dalton’s performance helping make the illusion convincing.
“My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen,” Damon added, explaining that the setup involved very tall stunt performers on one side of the frame and much shorter performers on the other, with Dalton doubling for him in Odysseus’ shots.
Damon recalled first meeting Dalton in the catering tent during filming, where he hugged her and thanked her for her contribution to the sequence. “So, it was almost 100 per cent my arms in the movie, but you gotta give it up where it’s due,” the actor joked.
Dalton is a stunt performer whose previous work spans film, television and motion-capture projects. While her involvement in The Odyssey had largely remained under the radar, Damon’s enthusiastic shoutout has now brought her contribution into the spotlight.
The anecdote, perhaps, has been resonating because it highlights how stunt work relies on physical specificity and the art of creating an illusion, rather than simple gender matching. And for an epic as ambitious as The Odyssey, that illusion is central to the film's scale.
