HEALTHMatt Damon's Shocking Transformation: Actor Hits His High School Weight by Dropping 20 Pounds for 'The Odyssey'
Matt Damon revealed a drastic weight loss transformation, shedding more than 20 pounds to reach his high school weight for his latest role in ‘The Odyssey.’
Jan. 7 2026, Published 4:33 p.m. ET
Matt Damon’s transformation for The Odyssey saw him return to his high school weight.
The actor, 55, spoke with brothers Jason and Travis Kelce during the Wednesday, January 7, episode of their “New Heights” podcast, where Damon revealed he “lost a lot of weight” during his transformation as the title character Odysseus in the classic Greek epic.
Matt Damon Dropped More Than 20 Pounds
Matt Damon lost more than 20 pounds for his role in the upcoming film 'The Odyssey.'
“I was in really good shape,” he replied. “I lost a lot of weight. [Director Christopher Nolan] said he wanted me like lean but strong. It's a weird thing.”
The retired NFL star, 38, mentioned a leaked photo from the set where the Stillwater actor looked “pretty yoked up,” which Damon admitted required a lot of commitment.
Matt Damon Reached His High School Weight
Matt Damon explained that he hit his high school weight of 167 pounds.
“I literally, just because of this other thing I did with my doctor, stopped eating gluten. I used to walk around between 185 and 200 pounds. and I did that whole movie at 167 pounds.” Damon continued. “I haven’t been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet.”
Damon confessed that he still hadn’t returned to his former habits, joking, “I found a gluten-free beer. It's been so long since I've had gluten, I can't tell if it's good or not. So that's a good sign.”
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Weight Loss Habits Stuck for Matt Damon
Matt Damon compared preparing for the role to football players preparing for a season.
The actor compared his experience of preparing for the role to how the football stars train for the NFL, explaining, “It’s just having kind of clear goal and setting it.”
“When I do that or when I do the Jason Bourne movies or whatever, it feels almost like a season, I would imagine, what that feels like for you guys where you're preparing,” he continued. “It's like just part of your day. It's part of your job, right? It's like you get really routinized about it and kind of build your day around all that stuff. That's kind of the physical side of getting ready.”
'The Odyssey' Hits Theaters Later This Year
'The Odyssey' hits theaters on July 17.
Nolan's retelling of the Homer epic features a star-studded cast including Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.
A synopsis for the film describes The Odyssey as "a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX® film technology."
The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17.
