Matt Damon says one of The Odyssey’s most famous moments was not mapped out in the polished, mechanical way fans might expect from a Christopher Nolan epic.
People reported that Damon, who plays Odysseus in Nolan’s adaptation, asked the director shortly before filming how they were going to shoot the Trojan Horse sequence. GamesRadar+ reported that Nolan’s answer was essentially to get everyone inside and work it out in real time.
The result, according to Damon, was a scene shaped less by pre-planned spectacle than by the pressure, discomfort and improvisation of being physically packed inside the structure.
Nolan Did Not Over-Plan the Horse Scene
View this post on Instagram
Damon said the uncertainty surprised him because the Trojan Horse is one of the best-known images connected to the ancient story. Instead of treating it like a locked-down technical puzzle, Nolan approached the scene with a looser, more instinctive energy.
The actor said he, Nolan, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and the cast physically got inside the horse together.
Damon compared the approach to independent filmmaking, even though The Odyssey is a large-scale studio epic shot with IMAX cameras.
The Claustrophobia Was Real
GamesRadar+ reported that Damon described the feeling of claustrophobia as something that developed organically during the shoot. Van Hoytema was inside with the camera, Nolan was close by, and the actors had to find the rhythm of the scene while packed into the structure.
Damon said that if the scene had been planned too tightly, it might not have had the same energy.
Jon Bernthal Helped Set the Tone
People reported that Damon remembered Jon Bernthal, who plays Menelaus, being half-submerged in freezing water while filming in Morocco during winter.
Damon said Bernthal was shaking so hard that he had to press his hands together to get through a line. When Nolan checked on him, Bernthal pushed through until the director finally called for him to be warmed up.
John Leguizamo, who plays Eumaeus, also recalled being struck by Nolan’s willingness to be inside the horse with the actors, crew and IMAX camera.
The Odyssey is scheduled to open in theaters July 17.