'The Odyssey': Matt Damon reveals challenging Trojan Horse shoot
What's the story
Actor Matt Damon recently revealed that even director Christopher Nolan was unsure about how to shoot the iconic Trojan Horse scene for The Odyssey. In an interview with PEOPLE, Damon said that just days before filming the sequence, both he and Nolan were still figuring out how they would execute it. "What was funny about the Trojan Horse was before we shot it...I said, 'Chris, how are you going to do the horse?' And he goes, 'Yeah I don't know.'"
Unplanned execution
'The way we were going to shoot the horse...'
Despite the uncertainty, Damon said they decided to shoot the scene in a spontaneous manner.
"The way we were going to shoot the horse was we were all going to get in the horse and figure it out," he explained.
"Hoyte [van Hoytema] is one of the best cinematographers to ever live, and he was going to get in there with us, and Chris was going to get in there with us."
Filming challenge
'I just have this vivid memory of being above...'
Damon also shared a memorable incident from the shoot.
He recalled how co-star Jon Bernthal, who plays Menelaus, was shivering in freezing water during the shoot in Morocco's winter.
"Jon was so tough. I just have this vivid memory of being above him in the horse, and Jon was shaking and putting his hands together and pressing so that he could just get the shivers out so he could get one line of dialogue out."
Director's dedication
Nolan's hands-on approach impressed John Leguizamo as well
John Leguizamo, who plays Eumaeus in The Odyssey, was also surprised by Nolan's dedication.
He recalled to The Hollywood Reporter, looking for the director only to find him inside the horse with 20 actors and an IMAX camera.
"I couldn't believe that," Leguizamo said.
"I was like 'Wow, this man is a leader... This man is not going to ask anything of you that he doesn't attempt himself.'"
The Odyssey is out in theaters now.