Matt Damon reveals how he dropped to his ‘high school’ weight for Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey'

Matt Damon, who is gearing up for 'The Odyssey' under the direction of Christopher Nolan, is collaborating with the filmmaker once again after 'Interstellar' and 'Oppenheimer'. As photos from the film’s set began circulating online, Damon’s noticeably lean frame quickly sparked conversation. The actor has now revealed that the transformation was no accident—it was a deliberate and disciplined process shaped by Nolan’s clear vision for bringing the legendary Greek hero Odysseus to life on screen.Damon shared details of his transformation during an appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, New Heights. After Jason Kelce noted that Damon looked “pretty yoked up,” the actor responded plainly. “Yeah, I was in really good shape,” he said. “I lost a lot of weight.”He explained that Nolan had a specific physical brief. “He said he wanted me lean but strong,” Damon said. “It’s a weird thing.” That balance guided every decision, with the goal being strength without bulk. The result was a lighter, sharper silhouette suited to the mythic warrior.Damon credited one major dietary change for helping him shed the pounds. “I literally, just because of this other thing I did with my doctor, stopped eating gluten,” he said. The shift delivered fast results.“I used to walk around between 185 and 200 pounds, and I did that whole movie at 167 pounds,” Damon revealed. The number surprised even him. “I haven’t been that light since high school,” he admitted. “So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet.”He also highlighted the role of trainers in such transformations. “Trainers are like, ‘What are we doing?’ And they can kind of do anything,” he said, stressing the importance of having a clear goal.Damon compared film preparation to an athlete’s season. “When I do that, or when I do the Jason Bourne movies, it feels almost like a season,” he said. “It’s just part of your day.”The habits have stuck. Damon told the Kelce brothers that he has remained gluten-free. “I’m done,” he said. “I’m gluten-free everything.” Laughing, he added, “I found a gluten-free beer.”The approach reflects lessons learned from earlier in his career. Damon once lost 40 to 50 pounds for Courage Under Fire, a transformation he later said came with a warning from his doctor that he “could have shrunk my heart permanently.” This time, the discipline came with caution.