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The Odyssey Full Interview: Christopher Nolan & Matt Damon Reveal Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
While The Odyssey’s cast is filled with star-studded names, fans are also learning a new one: Devyn Dalton.
"I'm 4-foot-6, and somehow I landed one of the biggest jobs of my career: Doubling Matt Damon in The Odyssey," the stunt performer recently shared with Yahoo!. “It didn't happen overnight. It was years of training, persistence and proving that strength doesn't come in just one size."
Not only is The Odyssey an epic poem, but Damon found Dalton to be pretty epic as well.
To create the "forced perspective" scenes with the mythical giants the Laestrygonians, “There were these stunt men who were all 7-feet, and then they got stunt men who were under 5 feet," the roughly 5-foot-10 actor explained on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. "So my double was a woman, a female stunt performer, who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen."
And Damon didn’t want to complete his quest of filming the movie without thanking Dalton for all her hard work.
"There are those shots in the movie where you see these giants looming over me,” the Oscar winner continued. “So, it was almost 100 percent my arms in the movie, but you gotta give it up where it’s due."
Meanwhile, Dalton was 100 percent shocked when Damon's shout-out went viral.
"I had some friends send me the clip, and my jaw kind of dropped," she recalled to CBC News. "I just thought it was so awesome. Obviously, I never expect those things. So any kind of recognition or shout-outs, I really appreciate it and I think it’s super awesome."
Devyn Dalton / Instagram; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
And she hopes her role in the Greek myth has a real impact on the industry.
"I’m so proud to kind of shine a light on stunts and stunt acting and especially stunt women," the 34-year-old added. "I think women have worked really hard for a long time in the industry, and it’s really exciting to be a part of maybe a movement where a light is shone on that more."
To learn more about Dalton, keep reading.
Who Is Devyn Dalton?
Born and raised in Canada, Dalton is an actor, voiceover star and stunt performer. The Odyssey is one of her many credits, with others including TV shows like The Last of Us, Resident Alien and Legion as well as movies such as Weapons, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and two Planet of the Apes films.
And if she ever needs a reference, she can always point to the letter Steven Spielberg wrote her after she worked with the legendary director on the 2016 movie The BFG (nbd).
How Did Devyn Dalton Get Into Stunt Work?
Dalton’s voyage into the performing arts began when she was a kid.
"I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and started dancing when I was young," she told Yahoo!. "Dance eventually led me into theater, and when I was around 9 years old, I found a newspaper clipping advertising a talent search. I begged my mom to let me audition, and she did. I ended up signing with an agent and started working as a child actor in commercials and small television roles."
It wasn’t until later that she explored stunt work.
“After high school, I booked work on the Planet of the Apes films, where I was introduced to motion capture,” she continued. "That experience completely changed my career. I fell in love with telling stories through movement. While working on those films, I met stunt performers who encouraged me to start training."
So, she did. “What started with martial arts and fight choreography," Dalton added, "quickly became a career."
Universal Pictures
How Was Devyn Dalton Cast as Matt Damon’s Stunt Double in The Odyssey?
"People often assume stunt performers audition the same way actors do, but many times, your audition is your reputation," she explained to Yahoo!. "Coordinators know your work. They know whether you're reliable, whether you're safe and whether you can physically do what's being asked. Getting hired for this film was the result of years of building that trust."
How Did Devyn Dalton Train for The Odyssey?
Like Odysseus' journey, Dalton’s road to The Odyssey wasn’t a quick trip. She’d been working on her craft for years (just scroll through her Instagram, and you’ll see videos of her boxing, running, strength training and building up her balance).
"I already train six or seven days a week," she informed Yahoo!. "Fitness has always been part of my life, but I approached this differently. I worked with a trainer to dial in my nutrition, tracked my macros and shifted my workouts toward bodybuilding, with a particular focus on building my upper body. I remember thinking, 'I want to show up and impress Matt Damon with my arms.'"
Well, mission accomplished.
What Was It Like for Devyn Dalton to Work With Matt Damon on The Odyssey?
Dalton had never worked as a stunt double for a male lead before stepping into that role for Damon.
"But with stunts, the main thing is, who is the best fit for what they’re looking for, physically?” she noted to The New York Times. "And, most importantly, who has the specific skill set needed? Increasingly, with wardrobe, hair and makeup, we get to do movie magic and transform people, and it doesn’t matter so much about gender.”
And the two collaborated on the choreography for the fight scenes.
"When doubling for someone, I’ll always specifically watch like, what foot did they walk with first?" she added. "People also just have little tendencies, like they might lean to one side or move a certain way. So I study all of that and try to mimic it exactly. That’s what sells it so well on camera."
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