Matt Damon reveals 'The Odyssey' felt like an 'expedition'
What's the story
Hollywood actor Matt Damon recently opened up about the challenging shooting schedule of his upcoming film, The Odyssey, in a conversation with PEOPLE. The movie is directed by Christopher Nolan and features Damon as Odysseus. The intense shoot took place in several countries, including Greece, Morocco, Iceland, Scotland, and Italy. "It really felt more like an expedition than a movie," said Damon.
Production challenges
'Every location was really difficult...'
Damon added, "And if you were cold and wet, you just turned, and you looked and Chris was just as cold and just as wet and going through it."
"Every location was really difficult, but in a really different way."
"We knew we were ending at the water tank in Universal. And nobody said, 'Well, it'll probably be easier once we get to it.'"
Shooting climax
'We're ending this with waterboarding...'
As the production neared its end, things got comically intense, as per the actor.
"We were laughing at the end because we were shooting some close-up raft stuff that was too dangerous to do on the open water."
"So we'd shot some wides, but we did some stuff on the tank that involved Chris pouring water over my face while I was lying there and I was like, 'This is perfect. We're ending this with waterboarding,'" he said while laughing.
Team spirit
'Best experience I've ever had'
Despite the physical demands of The Odyssey, Damon found the experience deeply rewarding.
He said, "I had such a feeling of gratitude. It was the best experience I've ever had because everybody on the set was experienced enough to know that the movie required everybody to be completely maxing out and straining against what they thought was possible and what they'd done before."
Meanwhile, the film is set to release on Friday, July 17.