Matt Damon has opened up about the dramatic lifestyle changes he made to prepare for his role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic The Odyssey.
The 55-year-old actor said getting into shape for the film required far more than simply spending time in the gym, describing it as a "complete" lifestyle overhaul.
Speaking on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Damon revealed he slimmed down from his usual weight of between 185 and 200 pounds to 167 pounds after Nolan wanted the legendary Greek hero to appear "strong and lean."
"It's way different to be getting jacked in your 50s. It's really hard. It's just a complete, complete lifestyle change," Damon said.
"Just put your feet on the gas and that's it. And that's the only way to do it and eat a little less no gluten, which changed my life."
The actor said giving up gluten has had a lasting impact on his health, and he has continued with the diet long after filming wrapped.
"I didn't realise the level to which it was affecting me and affecting my life. It's completely changed my life these last couple of years of not eating it."
"It's a bummer. I'm a big fan of bread and beer and you know pasta and pizza and all that stuff but how I feel is just so much better."
Matt Damon. Lev Radin, Shutterstock
While some people with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity benefit from avoiding gluten, experts generally advise that there is no proven health benefit to following a gluten-free diet unless it is medically necessary.
Damon also reflected on the experience of making The Odyssey, describing the production as unlike anything he had worked on before.
Speaking to People magazine, he said filming Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster often felt more like a major expedition than a traditional movie shoot.
"Every single day of filming that movie stands out because it felt more like an expedition than a film."
"It was so difficult to get the shots that we got, the way that we got them, that it really required every single person on that cast and crew to just completely max out day after day after day."
"I came away from that experience just feeling really lucky and grateful that I got to be a part of a team like that, because it never could have worked if everybody hadn't completely just pushed themselves beyond what they thought they could do."
Matt Damon and wife Luciana Barroso. Andrea Raffin, Shutterstock
Damon said he cannot wait for audiences to finally see the finished film.
"I'm really excited."
"It's worth their money for what it took for us to make it."
"You'll be getting your money's worth."
The actor also praised Nolan, with whom he has previously worked on Interstellar and the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. Widely regarded as one of Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers, Nolan reunites with Damon for the ambitious adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic.
Over the course of his career, Damon has starred in films including Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with longtime friend Ben Affleck, The Departed, The Martian and the hugely successful Jason Bourne franchise.
The Odyssey is due to arrive in cinemas on Friday, 17 July, and features an all-star cast led by Damon as the legendary king of Ithaca on his decade-long journey home following the Trojan War.
