To perform demanding action sequences, the production assembled a team of stunt performers selected for specific physical attributes and skills. Dalton drew attention for doubling Damon in several scenes in which his character, Odysseus, encounters the giant Laestrygonians.

"I’m 4-foot-6, and somehow I landed one of the biggest jobs of my career: doubling Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey,’" Dalton told Yahoo Entertainment. "It didn’t happen overnight. It was years of training, persistence and proving that strength doesn’t come in just one size."

To bring these mythical encounters to life, director Christopher Nolan used forced perspective, placing stunt performers of dramatically different heights in the same frame to make the giants appear much taller than the protagonist. The production paired performers around 7 feet tall with others under 5 feet, Matt Damon shared with host Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. He also publicly praised Dalton for her contribution to the film.

 

 

1.37-meter-tall stunt actress doubles for Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey’

Devyn Dalton - diễn viên cao 1,37 m đóng thế tài tử Matt Damon trong 'The Odyssey' - tập luyện Muay

Damon's remarks attracted attention on social media and caught Dalton by surprise. "At first, it was just friends tagging me in the clip. Then the interview requests started coming," she said. "I never expected this kind of attention, but it’s been incredibly humbling."

Now 35, the performer got her start at around age 9 after spotting a newspaper advertisement for a talent audition. She asked her mother for permission to try out and subsequently signed with a talent agency.

She went on to work on commercials and productions including "The Last of Us," "Resident Alien," "Legion," "Weapons," "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" and the "Planet of the Apes" franchise. Her work on the "Planet of the Apes" films introduced her to the stunt community and encouraged her to pursue the profession. Dalton subsequently trained in martial arts and fight choreography. In 2016, she appeared in Steven Spielberg’s "The BFG" and received a letter of recommendation from the director after completing the project, according E! News.

Actress Devyn Dalton. Photo from Instagram/@devyn.dalton

In the interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Dalton shared that stunt performers do not necessarily go through the same audition process as lead actors. In many cases, their reputation and experience determine whether they are selected for a project.

Dalton has maintained an intensive training regimen for years. She works out six to seven days a week, combining boxing, running and balance exercises while adjusting the intensity of her workouts to prepare for individual roles. In addition to focusing on building muscle, she follows a diet prescribed by her trainer and monitors her nutritional intake.

Dalton told The New York Times that she worked closely with Damon to develop the fight sequences. She carefully observed the actor’s movements and small physical habits before recreating them in her own performance.

Before joining Nolan’s film, the stunt actress had never doubled for a male lead. However, she does not believe gender should be a determining factor in selecting someone for the job. She hopes her appearance in a major production such as "The Odyssey" will bring greater attention to the role of women in the stunt industry.

"Nowadays, with the help of costumes, hair and makeup, we can create ‘magic’ on screen, so gender isn’t as important anymore," she said.

Inspired by Greek mythology, "The Odyssey" stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the hero who spends 10 years trying to return home after the Trojan War. Along the way, he encounters gods and monsters and faces numerous challenges as he attempts to reunite with his wife and reclaim his kingdom. The film features an ensemble cast including Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and Lupita Nyong’o.

With an estimated budget of $250 million, "The Odyssey" is the first feature film to be shot entirely with IMAX 70mm cameras, also known as IMAX 1570.

Rather than relying heavily on green screens and computer-generated imagery, Nolan combined multiple practical filmmaking techniques and effects. To recreate the giant creature Polyphemus, the production intercut actor Bill Irwin’s performance with a roughly 60-foot puppet before combining the elements using visual effects, Nolan said in an interview with Empire.

For the setting of Troy, the production built a set spanning more than 110,000 square meters, large enough to accommodate more than 2,000 extras. The production team also constructed several versions of the Trojan horse, each about 35 feet tall. One of them was partially buried beneath the sand so that extras could pull it out during the scene.