The A-lister underwent a drastic transformation to play Odysseus.
At 55, Matt Damon has proved he’s still capable of a drastic body transformation for his career, losing over 20 pounds forWhile preparing to portray Odysseus, the 5-foot-10 actor dropped to 167 pounds—the same weight he had as a teenager.
, insisting that he achieved his ripped physique in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the Homer classic through healthy means only.
“I didn’t change it in an unhealthy way,” Damon said, noting that he gave up gluten for the role and worked out in preparation. Matt Damon attends the after-party of"The Odyssey" at Oswald's club in Mayfair on July 7, 2026, in London. He explained, “It was more about just getting really, really physically fit, which just really involves changing your diet, just a whole lifestyle change.
”Adding, “You have to just be very, very intentional about everything you’re putting in your body. ”However, Damon draws the line at increasing his pant size for a role—something he did previously for his role in 2009’s“I think if I had done the opposite and put weight on, that would have been dangerous, and it’s not something I’ll do anymore. I was happy to do it earlier in my life,” he said.
Matt Damon underwent a full-body transformation for his role as Odysseus. Pictured here in May 2024 and in March 2025. The Odyssey,“I ate pizzas, In-N-Out burgers, and drank dark beers,” he said.
“I felt great for a while. De Niro put on 60 pounds for, and he said that the first 15 pounds were absolute fun.
Then it started to become work. ” “With me, the first 20 pounds were fun, and then it started to really wear on me because I couldn’t exercise, so I never got the endorphin rush of breaking a sweat,” he said. De Niro and Damon are among several leading men who have put their bodies through the wringer for their careers.
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