Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is already proving to be one of the biggest films of the year. The epic action fantasy took an estimated $261 million at the global box office on its opening weekend, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises and marking the biggest debut of Nolan’s career.
As audiences continue to dissect every detail of the film, Matt Damon, who leads the cast as the legendary Greek hero Odysseus has shared a behind-the-scenes revelation about one of its most memorable sequences. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor revealed details of the stunt double who stood in for him during scenes with the towering Laestrygonians.
“My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen,” Damon said, explaining that she appears in the shots where the giants are seen looming over Odysseus. The woman behind those scenes is Canadian stunt performer, actor, and motion-capture artist Devyn Dalton.
Below, read everything to know about her—from her work with Matt Damon to her previous credits.
Who is Devyn Dalton?
Devyn Dalton is a Canadian actor, dancer, stunt performer, and motion-capture artist, born in Vancouver. Reported to have a height of around 4’6”, she has trained in disciplines including boxing, Muay Thai, fencing, sword fighting, and multiple forms of dance, making her particularly suited to stunt doubling and highly physical screen roles.
What scenes from The Odyssey is Dalton in?
Dalton doubled for Damon during the film’s Laestrygonian sequence, in which Odysseus and his crew encounter a race of enormous cannibalistic giants. Christopher Nolan reportedly created the difference in scale using forced perspective and performers of contrasting heights, with Dalton standing in for Damon in shots where the giants appear to loom over, pursue, and attack Odysseus.
What has Matt Damon said about Dalton?
Damon revealed Dalton’s involvement during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, joking that although most of Odysseus’ physique belonged to him, credit was due to his double. He described Dalton as having “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen” and recalled being stunned by her muscular build when they first met in the catering tent.
What else has Dalton starred in?
Dalton’s career spans acting, stunt work, voice performance, and motion capture. She portrayed apes Cornelia and Cornelius in the Planet of the Apes films and played Cosmo through physical performance in The Electric State.
Her other credits include:
- The Last of Us
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- The Fall of the House of Usher
- The BFG
- The Adam Project
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix
- Peter Pan & Wendy
- She has also voiced Ocellus in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
