As Christopher Nolan took him on The Odyssey, Matt Damon had to learn to perform for a new medium.
The Oscar-winning actor recently detailed some of the challenges of filming a movie completely on Imax cameras, which had never been done before the Nolan-helmed adaptation of Homer’s 8th century BC epic poem.
“On this one, it was 100 percent on Imax,” he said on the New Heights podcast. “It was the first movie that was ever done all on Imax. Imax cameras are really loud. It sounds like a blender, like a Cuisinart in your face when the camera’s close to you. So there’s never been these dialogue [scenes in Imax]. We couldn’t have this conversation with a normal Imax camera because you wouldn’t be able to hear us.”
Damon added, “They built this giant thing around the Imax for those dialogue scenes and a system of mirrors so your eyeline would be close to the camera and you could talk to the other actor. The amount of work that went into figuring out how to do [that], because he wanted to do 100 percent Imax, and he did it!”
Imax CEO Rich Gelfond previously recalled that Nolan contacted him about a year before filming, telling him he wanted to shoot The Odyssey 100% on Imax.
“That couldn’t be done for a lot of reasons,” said Gelfond, adding: “There were lots of issues.”
Gelfond said Nolan told him, “‘I’m going to give you a challenge. If you can figure out how to solve these problems, I’m going to make Odyssey 100% film with Imax cameras,’ and we’ve solved his problems. So, this will be the first film ever, at least filmed 100%, with Imax cameras.”
An adaptation of one of the first stories in human history, The Odyssey follows Odysseus (Damon) through the incredible trials and mythical encounters he faces on his decade-long journey home to wife Penelope after the Trojan War.
Premiering July 17, 2026 in Imax, The Odyssey also stars Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth and more.