'Hardest movie ever': Matt Damon talks Nolan's 'The Odyssey'
07 Jun 2026

Hollywood actor Matt Damon has described his experience working on Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, The Odyssey, as the most challenging of his career.

Speaking at the California Adopt-A-Pet Day event on June 6, he said, "It was by far the hardest movie I've ever made."

"Chris likes to shoot everything real. So there's no kind of green screen, no faking it, no kind of studio stuff."

Nolan's commitment to practical filmmaking
Filmmaking style

Nolan is known for his commitment to practical effects and real-world locations.

Inception saw him build rotating sets for gravity-defying scenes, while Oppenheimer used practical techniques to recreate an explosion and mushroom cloud for a nuclear test.

For The Odyssey, he's again used real locations and practical filmmaking methods to bring ancient Greece alive.

About 'The Odyssey' and its cast ensemble
Film details

The Odyssey is based on Homer's epic poem about Odysseus's 10-year journey home to Ithaca after Troy's fall.

Damon plays the titular role, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy.

The film will hit theaters on July 17, 2026.