New Delhi: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has generated conversations around its scale, mythology and performances, whereas one of the film’s most unexpected talking points has been Matt Damon’s arms, which belong to a woman stunt double.
Unknowingly, audiences praised the actor’s muscular appearance in a pivotal fight sequence, assuming the 55-year-old had undergone an intense physical transformation. Damon had to confess that biceps are not his.
“They belong to my stunt double…the greatest arms I have ever seen,” he said.
Canadian stunt performer Devyn Dalton has been performing stunts since 2011. She is a dancer and entered the profession after being cast in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. Since then, she has worked on projects such as Weapons and The Last of Us.
Dalton, during an interview with The New York Times, said working as a stunt double requires far more than simply matching an actor physically.
“When doubling for someone, I’ll always specifically watch what foot they walk with first. People also 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,” she said.
She worked alongside Damon during filming because, as she explained, “you’re both a part of a sequence and you’re both portraying the same character.” Dalton also revealed that doubling for a male lead is uncommon.
“With stunts, the main thing is who is the best fit for what they’re looking for, physically. 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,” she added.
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Getting public shout-out
According to the SAG-AFTRA union, women in Hollywood make up little more than 20 per cent of stunt performers, making Dalton’s role in The Odyssey a rare one.
Dalton said public recognition of stunt performers is unusual because the job is designed to remain invisible.
“Even though you’re in front of the camera, if you’re doubling and you’ve done your job right, the audience shouldn’t know it’s you. Part of our job is being hidden.”
She added that she was grateful Damon acknowledged her work publicly. After his interview went viral, friends began sending her clips and messages.
“I was like, ‘What is going on?’ It just blew up; my phone was going crazy,” she recalled.