Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is already shaping up to be the summer's most anticipated blockbuster, and for good reason. The director, known for pushing IMAX technology to its limits, has once again reinvented the wheel—this time with a clever mirror system that allowed his star-studded cast to deliver deeply personal performances while using the famously noisy IMAX cameras.
Matt Damon, who plays the legendary King Odysseus, recently sat down with Collider to spill the secrets behind Nolan's latest cinematic marvel. From the painstaking world-building that transported the cast to ancient Greece to the technical wizardry that made intimate scenes possible, Damon offered a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of this epic.
The Mirror Trick That Changed Everything
One of the biggest challenges Nolan faced was the sheer volume of the IMAX cameras. Encased in a massive soundproof blimp, the camera is so bulky that an actor's eyeline can be thrown off by feet. For quiet, emotional scenes—like the reunion between Odysseus and Penelope (Anne Hathaway)—that's a dealbreaker.
“The IMAX camera is so noisy that they built the giant blimp,” Damon explained. “The blimp goes around the IMAX, and so the blimp is like that wide, with the camera sitting in the middle. So if I'm going to put my face next to the camera to do my scene with Steve, it's going to be way over here, which means your eyeline is going to be like that.”
Nolan's solution? A custom mirror system. The actor looks into a mirror that reflects into another mirror, placing his full face right next to the camera lens. “We could still feel how close we were to each other,” Damon said. “We could hear each other breathing. We could hear each other's voices. We were just looking there, in a mirror.”
The effect, according to Damon, worked seamlessly. In fact, he and Hathaway recently discussed how their memories of the scene are now tied to that mirrored setup, not the technical rigmarole. For more on how the cast navigated this unique approach, check out Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway Reveal Christopher Nolan's IMAX Mirror Trick for 'The Odyssey'.
Building a Mythic World on IMAX
Beyond the camera hack, Damon marveled at Nolan's comprehensive world-building. “It was about this comprehensive effort on the part of all the departments to just really world-build,” he said. From the wardrobe's layers of dirt to the intentional grounding of Homer's myth, every detail was designed to make ancient Greece feel tangible.
And the final piece of that puzzle was shooting on IMAX itself. “He didn't announce that as we set off. I mean, we knew that was the intention, but we didn't know if we'd be able to do it,” Damon admitted. “That is the final piece that just puts you there.”
Damon watched the finished film at the Lincoln Square IMAX in 70mm and was blown away. “I really wish everybody on the planet could watch it like that because it's insane,” he said. For those eager to dive deeper into the director's IMAX journey, How Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' IMAX Lens Paved the Way for 'The Odyssey' offers a fascinating look at the evolution of his craft.
A Stellar Cast Brings Homer to Life
The Odyssey follows King Odysseus as he battles gods, monsters, and his own hubris on a decade-long journey home to Ithaca. The cast is a who's who of Hollywood: Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, and Bill Irwin as the Cyclops Polyphemus. For a taste of the on-set camaraderie, Zendaya Reveals Tom Holland's Sweet Support on Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Set is a must-read.
When asked what he'd ask Homer about Odysseus, Damon joked, “I think he would say yes.” The actor's enthusiasm for the project is palpable, and his insights into Nolan's process only heighten the anticipation for what promises to be a landmark film.
For those who want to prepare for the epic, 10 Epic Films to Watch Before Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' offers a curated list of cinematic journeys that set the stage.
