Female stunt double takes Matt Damon's place in Nolan's Odyssey

In Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey,' the arms of Odysseus fighting giant legions were performed by 137 cm tall female stunt double Devin Dalton. Dalton, who is 40 cm shorter than Matt Damon, took part in scenes filmed using forced perspective.

Scraper SystemJuly 30, 2026, 09:17 PM

Female stunt double takes Matt Damon's place in Nolan's Odyssey

A rare Hollywood practice unfolded in Christopher Nolan's new film 'Odyssey.' According to The New York Times (NYT), the arms seen by audiences in the giant fight scenes of Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, belong to 34-year-old female stunt double Devin Dalton.

Dalton stands just 137 centimeters tall — a full 40 centimeters shorter than Matt Damon. Nolan employed forced perspective, an optical illusion, to make Odysseus's soldiers appear as small as possible against the giants. The same technique was previously used to make Ian McKellen's Gandalf appear larger in The Lord of the Rings; this time, Nolan aimed to shrink the heroes against the giant-sized enemies. This required a stunt double physically much shorter than the actor.

Female Stunt Doubles a Rarity in Hollywood

According to data from the SAG-AFTRA union, only 20 percent of stunt doubles working in Hollywood are women. It is common practice for male stunt doubles to take on dangerous scenes for female characters; however, a woman replacing a male lead actor is a very rare occurrence.

Dalton was on set at the same time as Damon during filming, studying his movements, gestures, and posture in detail. 'Part of our job is not to be noticed. That's why I'm very grateful for Matt's generosity and appreciation,' she said.

Praise from Damon

Dalton's involvement emerged when Matt Damon said in an interview, 'the most magnificent arms I've ever seen.' When a journalist complimented his biceps in the giant fight scene, Damon praised his stunt double, saying, 'Actually, those arms belong to Devin Dalton.'

A First in Her Stunt Career

Devin Dalton has been a stunt performer since 2011. She has worked on the 'Planet of the Apes' trilogy, the series 'The Last of Us,' and the film 'Weapons.' However, 'Odyssey' is the first project where she doubled for a male actor.

Dalton says she constantly trains in various disciplines to remain versatile: 'I learned to swim in cold water and hold my breath for a long time so that if a job offer comes at any moment, I can say, "Great, I'm ready."' She adds that sometimes the scenes are so dangerous that she simply tells her mother, 'I'm going to work,' without further explanation.

Female stunt double takes Matt Damon's place in Nolan's Odyssey