'The Odyssey' actor, Matt Damon dropped to 167 lbs while training for the film. He said that the gluten-free diet actually improved his health!
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleChristopher Nolan's movie, The Odyssey, has been grabbing the attention ever since it was announced. The filmmaker started writing the movie in March 2024, and it was in December of the same year that the movie was announced. On July 17, 2026, the movie will be released worldwide, and in its pre-sales, it grossed USD 200 million in its opening weekend. The Odyssey is one of Nolan's most artistic projects, and he has had the idea for the last 20 years.
For those who don't know, Nolan was about to work on the project, Troy, but it didn't happen. However, the filmmaker finally fulfilled what he dreamed of doing. The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic Odyssey, features a stellar cast, including Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya. The expectation is high for the movie, and there's no denying the fact that the cast is going to stand the same.
Matt Damon, who is playing 'King Odysseus' of Ithaca, the lead, is the highest-paid actor, and reportedly he is being paid USD 15 million for his role. But did you know that he had to lose a lot of weight for his role in the movie? Yes. You read it right! In an interview on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Matt revealed that he used to be around 185 and 200 pounds, and he did the entire movie at 167 pounds.
He further mentioned that he had set a clear physical goal that helped him to achieve what he wanted. Nolan wanted him to be 'lean and strong' for the movie, and according to Matt, he was in good shape and was lighter than he had been since high school. Matt could be quoted as saying:
"It’s just a complete, complete lifestyle change. I literally, just because of this other thing I did with my doctor, stopped eating gluten. We didn’t talk about it, and I didn’t realise the level to which it was affecting me. Like it’s completely changed my life these last couple years of not eating it."
In the same interview, Matt Damon mentioned that over the years, he has been getting help after he cut gluten from his diet. His doctors found out that he had a sensitivity to gluten, which further led them to advise him to avoid it completely. Matt's health was also being affected by gluten, as he shared, and cutting it out apparently changed his life, totally. Damon could be quoted as saying:
"I used to walk around between 185 and 200 pounds. And I did that whole movie at 167 pounds. I haven’t been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet. Trainers are like, ‘What are we doing?’ And they can kind of do anything. It’s just having kind of a clear goal and setting it. I was in really good shape. I lost a lot of weight. It’s just part of your day, it’s part of your job, and you get really routinized about it and kinda build your day around all that stuff. I’m done. I’m gluten-free everything. 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."
Matt Damon, who had acted in high-stakes action films like The Martian, Saving Private Ryan, and The Bourne, however, he felt that the role of 'Odysseus' was epic and one of the best roles that he was offered. To mention, the movie shows the Greek hero 'Odysseus's journey, and the amount of physical and internal battle he went through made this role an iconic one. According to Matt:
“I felt like this was the best role I'd ever been offered. It's such an iconic character and he goes through so much, internally and physically. It was an extraordinary opportunity."
What do you think about Matt Damon's revelations?
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