Christopher Nolan made Matt Damon endure The Odyssey's brutal mast scene

Christopher Nolan prefers practical effects, and he pushed that approach in The Odyssey, which follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he struggles to return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. As Damon noted, Nolan “writes everything out in the script. There are no secrets.” Tom Holland put it simply: “Chris doesn’t fake anything.

Everything’s real. Everything you’re reacting to is what he wants your visceral human response to.” Robert Pattinson recalled being told, “Oh no, we’ve got Damon doing it,” as Damon and Anne Hathaway performed actions off camera to create genuine reactions. Damon said the script makes expectations clear: “If you write the Sirens when….

It’s in the story. He gets lashed to the mast and he has a f***ing existential crisis.

christopher nolan, matt damon, the odyssey, odysseus, ithaca, trojan war, practical effects, tom holland, robert pattinson, anne hathaway