Matt Damon's Odyssey stunt double did the giant fights
Matt Damon's muscular Odyssey look wasn't entirely his own. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he said his biceps were "almost 100 percent" real, but much of what audiences see belongs to stunt double Devyn Dalton, a 4-foot-5 performer who stood in during key fight scenes in Christopher Nolan's epic.
Key Takeaways
- Matt Damon credited stunt double Devyn Dalton for much of Odysseus's on-screen physical presence beyond his own biceps.
- Dalton, who is 4-foot-5, doubled Damon in the Laestrygonians battle using forced perspective opposite seven-foot stunt performers.
- Nolan avoided CGI giants, relying on camera angles and size contrast for scale.
- Damon called Dalton's arms "the greatest" he had ever seen and thanked her for the work.
- Dalton said the Odyssey role capped years of stunt training and industry trust.
Who is Matt Damon's Odyssey stunt double?
Devyn Dalton is a Canadian-born actor, stunt performer, motion-capture artist, voice actor, and dancer. At 34, she has more than 60 credits, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Last of Us, and Godzilla.
She told the New York Post she built her career without industry connections and stays gym-ready daily—yoga, weights, boxing, and weapon work—because stunt calls can arrive with only a week's notice.
"Opportunities like this come from building trust and [having] a strong reputation in the industry," Dalton said. "It doesn't just happen overnight. It takes so long and I spent my entire career [preparing] for this."
How did the stunt double create the giant fight scenes?
In Nolan's The Odyssey, Odysseus battles the Laestrygonians—armored giants made imposing without CGI. Damon explained that seven-foot stunt men faced performers under five feet, including Dalton, while low-to-high camera angles sold the scale.
That forced perspective, which Dalton calls "movie magic," put her in promo images many viewers assume show Damon. Her stature was a casting strength: giants loom over her on camera, then appear to tower over Odysseus in the cut.
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Why did Matt Damon struggle with the Odyssey transformation?
Damon's transformation drew headlines after The Odyssey opened, amid debate among purists and praise from film fans. Speaking on Happy Sad Confused, he clarified the credit split: arms mostly his, much of the rest his stunt double's.
After meeting Dalton, Damon said he "hugged her, and thanked her for all the work she had put in," Vanity Fair reported. Dalton said she was "overwhelmed" by the shoutout and called wider recognition of stuntwomen overdue.
Once cast, she trained with a coach to sharpen strength and combat skills for the demanding set. Sharing space with A-list talent, she said, forced her to "level up and be a genius."
Dalton also framed the role as progress for women with strong, powerful bodies in an industry where body image remains a barrier. "There's been a lot of women who have opened the doors, but it's an ongoing battle always," she said. "I hope to continue to pave the way for that."