It’s easy to see the dedication on display from The Odyssey’s cast when checking out their performances in the 2026 release. But hearing how far Matt Damon went to get Odysseus right kinda blows my mind. Robert Pattinson, who portrays Antinous, dished on just what it took for Damon to become the Greek hero, revealing what really happened when he thought his co-star was totally losing it on The Odyssey set.
Pattinson got together with castmates Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway to play a game of “Who Even Am I?” for MTV UK. In the midst of one round, Pattinson divulged the way Matt Damon had him in awe with his on-the-day performance, saying:
There’s a thing which Matt did when we were shooting something, and he was in the trailer next to me and he was making these noises in the trailer. And I was like, ‘cause he's such a nice guy, and I'm like — I thought he was on the phone — and I'm like, ‘He's a complete psycho.’ [He’s just] screaming and screaming and screaming. I’m like, either like, you’re having a really bad toilet experience [laughs].
Damon's Odysseus is one of the reasons why the movie gave Christopher Nolan his box office crown back, so it's probably safe to say Damon's vocal wear and tear was worth it in the end. Not that it was just a loss of voice that the actor endured for the epic role, as he has been open about the dreariness of filming, specifically addressing the scenes on the ship where he spent a lot of time wet and cold.
Despite scenes that required discomfort, the actor has had nothing but lovely things to say about his experience. Damon even says the movie had a “profound effect” on him, and his dedication in turn had a lasting effect on Pattinson, who shares his costar had a good reason for acting like a psycho:
He was blowing his voice out just to sound older…. Seeing him on the mast, I'm like, ‘Jeez, like really, you're taking years off your life doing this.’ It’s impressive.
Though I admit, while I love hearing the story of Damon's method acting, it's what the actor said to Nolan about his Odysseus performance that made me emotional. When the director complimented the dailies of Damon and Hathaway, the actor instantly gave away the credit: “I said that was Annie. Because I really just looked into her eyes and she took me away.”
Sadly, not everyone shares the love the cast has for the movie, especially The Odyssey translator Emily Wilson, who called the Nolan film “underdeveloped” and then later defended her criticism. However, the cast still defends the choices made, such as Pattinson, who has previously defended the actions of his despicable character. He did so by hilariously saying that when it comes to having a step-father, Holland “could do worse.” And while he praises the extremes Damon is willing to go to, it would be amiss to not mention Pattinson is going from one grueling schedule to another. He has 11 weeks of night shoots coming up for The Batman Part II.
But while we wait for his Batman encore, we can enjoy watching Pattinson, Damon, and their costars as they give these classic characters their all.
