Christopher Nolan Had 1 Non-Negotiable Condition For Matt Damon’s Odysseus Appearance

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Matt Damon stars in the new film as Odysseus, and he recently shared that director Christopher Nolan had one firm requirement for how he looked during filming.

In an interview with Empire, Damon shared that Nolan insisted he grow a real beard for his role as Odysseus. “He wants everything to be authentic,” Damon explained. He admitted he was initially worried about whether he could even grow a beard suitable for the part.

I’d never attempted to grow a beard that long before. Honestly, there are plenty of reasons why it never gets that far – and my kids are the first on the list!

Damon first thought a fake beard would work for the part, but Nolan immediately rejected the idea. Nolan prefers to use real hair whenever possible, staying true to his hands-on filmmaking style. He explains his reasoning as follows:

I prefer using real hair over wigs or fake beards. It feels more natural and allows for practical effects – like being able to soak the actor with water – without worrying about damaging a fake piece.

Christopher Nolan’s insistence on real hair for his actors fits with his overall filmmaking style. He’s well-known for preferring practical effects and shooting things as realistically as possible. A prime example is his decision to actually crash a Boeing 747 for the film Tenet (2020) rather than relying on computer-generated imagery.

Additionally, The Odyssey is the first film ever shot entirely on IMAX. Because IMAX creates such a detailed and large-scale image, any artificial hairpieces or beards might be more noticeable.

The first official glimpse of Damon’s beard for the film came with the initial image from Nolan’s The Odyssey, though it was mostly hidden by a helmet. Later, more complete views of his appearance were revealed in photos leaked from the set.

A short preview of The Odyssey was shown in cinemas before Jurassic World Rebirth came out, but it hasn’t been posted online yet. While we haven’t seen much official footage of Damon as his character, Empire magazine recently shared some new photos from the film, which you can see above.

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie is scheduled for release in July 2026, so we can likely expect a trailer soon. With Avatar: Fire and Ash being the final major film of the year, it’s a good opportunity to show a longer preview of The Odyssey before it. This time, the preview might be available online as well as in theaters.

Damon stars in The Odyssey alongside a talented cast including Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, and Lupita Nyong’o. Tom Holland will play the role of Telemachus, Odysseus’s son.

Although details about Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey are still emerging, one thing is certain: the actors will be sporting their natural hair – no wigs!

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2025-11-22 23:58