ENTERTAINMENTMatt Damon Says 'The Odyssey' Left Cast With 'Back Pain' and 'Scuffed Up' Feet After Filming Christopher Nolan Epic
Matt Damon spoke about the physical toll of filming 'The Odyssey.'
July 22 2026, Published 1:09 p.m. ET
Matt Damon revealed filming The Odyssey came with more than just long days on set.
"Well, a lot of us were middle-aged people," Damon said during an appearance on Andy Cohen's SiriusXM's Radio Andy.
He added, "And what we got was back pain. Because running through Troy, you know, it’s all stone. You’re in these sandals, and they’re very real."
The Oscar winner shared that the demanding action sequences took a toll on the cast while they worked on Christopher Nolan's retelling of Homer's ancient Greek epic.
Cast Members on 'The Odyssey' Set Endured Weeks of Physical Discomfort
Matt Damon said filming Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' left the cast with back pain and scuffed feet after weeks of action scenes.
Damon also talked about the intense filming conditions during production.
"Our feet were all scuffed up. But more than the little scratches and cuts on your feet, it was the back pain for us," he said.
Damon continued, "It was a heavy Advil movie in those weeks where we were doing that action stuff."
The Good Will Hunting actor suggested that the physical strain became part of the experience while filming the large-scale battle sequences. However, the injuries were nothing serious.
Christopher Nolan Had a Strict Rule on Set
Christopher Nolan revealed he discouraged actors from wearing Ugg boots between takes to help them stay immersed in the world of 'The Odyssey.'
Damon also shared one of Nolan's on-set rules that caught the cast's attention.
The director said during an appearance on CBS Mornings with Gayle King, "Sometimes actors will turn up, because the footwear hurts them, so they’ll turn up in these big fluffy comfy slippers."
He continued, "And the funny thing is, you can be on a set, where you’ve got a guy holding a microphone, you’ve got a giant camera, you’ve got crew everywhere."
Nolan added, "But something like that can actually weirdly take you out of reality."
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Christopher Nolan explained that even small off-camera details could disrupt the atmosphere he wanted to maintain on 'The Odyssey' set.
The filmmaker explained that those small distractions could affect the atmosphere he wanted to create on set.
"There are just certain things that remind you you’re in the real world as opposed to the world we’re trying to create for the actors," he continued.
Nolan added, "I want to stay in the moment, we want the actors to stay in the moment. And so for me, Ugg boots are a signifier of modernity."
'The Odyssey' Became a Box Office Success
'The Odyssey' became a box office success, earning $264 million worldwide and setting a new global opening record.
While the demanding production left the cast sore, the effort paid off at the box office.
The Odyssey earned $264 million worldwide, including $124.5 million domestically, according to Rentrak. The film also set a new opening-weekend record for Nolan at the global box office, surpassing the $249 million debut of his 2012 blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises.
