Matt Damon dropped to 167 pounds for Nolan's 'The Odyssey' after six months on a gluten-free regimen
LOS ANGELES, July 26. Matt Damon weighed 167 pounds through the filming of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," down from his standard range of 185 to 200 pounds, the actor disclosed in recent television and podcast appearances. The figure, which he described as his high school weight, came from a six-month regimen that consumed nearly every daily decision. The film opened July 17 and recorded a roughly $264 million global opening weekend, the largest debut of Nolan's career.
Key takeaways
- Matt Damon dropped to 167 pounds — his high school weight — for Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' down from his standard 185-to-200-pound range.
- The weight loss came from a six-month regimen in which every food portion was weighed and Damon followed a gluten-free diet, cutting beer, bread, and pasta.
- 'The Odyssey' opened July 17 and recorded a roughly $264 million global opening weekend, the largest debut of Nolan's career.
- Nolan required Damon to grow a real beard, kept for about a year, because stunts throwing him into salt water ruled out a prosthetic.
- Damon said he will no longer pursue extreme weight gain for roles after age 50, though he described the 'Odyssey' preparation as healthy.
LOS ANGELES, July 26. Matt Damon weighed 167 pounds through the filming of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," down from his standard range of 185 to 200 pounds, the actor disclosed in recent television and podcast appearances. The figure, which he described as his high school weight, came from a six-month regimen that consumed nearly every daily decision. The film opened July 17 and recorded a roughly $264 million global opening weekend, the largest debut of Nolan's career.
Diet structure and the gluten cut
Damon told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on "Live with Kelly and Mark" that the preparation felt closer to an athlete's training cycle than a standard Hollywood routine. Every food portion was weighed. He adopted a gluten-free diet and found the restriction applied to more foods than he had anticipated. Beer was among the items he cut, along with bread and pasta.
Giving up beer was the hardest part, he said. Damon said he has maintained the diet since production ended, saying he felt markedly better for it, and is now researching gluten-free beer alternatives.
Nolan's direction on the physical target was specific. The director told Damon he wanted Odysseus to look "lean and strong like somebody who's a veteran of the Trojan War," Damon recalled on the program. That particular shape, Damon said, was the hardest to achieve.
On set in Italy and the beard requirement
Damon told People magazine that his wife Luciana, 50, and their four daughters visited him in Italy during production. He ordered pasta at dinner, then called the waiter back and substituted a steak. He said he took one bite of each daughter's pasta to satisfy an earlier promise to the children.
The physical changes also included a beard Damon kept for approximately a year. He told USA Today that a prosthetic beard was not an option because the production required him to be thrown into salt water during stunts. Nolan concluded a real beard was the only workable solution.
Prior transformations and a ceiling set after 50
Damon said he will not pursue extreme weight gain for roles. For the 1996 film "Courage Under Fire," he lost between 40 and 50 pounds in roughly 100 days. He later said a doctor told him the loss could have permanently shrunk his heart. For 2009's "The Informant!," he gained approximately 30 pounds by eating freely over several months.
The "Odyssey" preparation did not carry that risk, he told People. "I didn't change it in an unhealthy way," he said. Adding significant weight is something he said he will not do anymore.
Damon accepted Nolan's offer before hearing the project described. When Nolan said the pitch was two words, "The Odyssey," Damon said his heart skipped a beat. The film is the third Nolan collaboration for Damon, following "Interstellar" and "Oppenheimer."