Stunt performer Devyn Dalton has offered insight into her acclaimed performance doubling for Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
The 34-year-old’s involvement in the film was recently praised by Damon, who described Dalton as having “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.”
The 4-foot-5-inch actor faces off against 7-foot-tall stunt performers playing giants in one of the film’s most memorable sequences. The scene also features on a promotional poster for the blockbuster retelling of Homer’s epic Greek poem.
Speaking to the New York Post, Dalton described the use of “forced perspective” in her scenes as “movie magic.”
Dalton has been performing in stunt roles since 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and maintains a strict regime of yoga, weight training, boxing and weapon work because she never knows when she might get asked to join a production.
“Physically, I’m always ready to go because you get the phone call and have to be ready,” said Dalton. “Sometimes you only get a week’s notice.”
She added that her role in The Odyssey had come after years of building relationships in Hollywood, explaining: “Opportunities like this come from building trust and [having] a strong reputation in the industry. It doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes so long and I spent my entire career [preparing] for this.”
Dalton also thanked Damon for giving her credit for her role in bringing Odysseus to the screen, saying: “I’m so overwhelmed that he gave a shoutout into how it works. It’s about time more information comes out about this.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
She added that stunt work is often perceived to be a male profession, and asked: “They often say ‘stuntman’, but what about stuntwomen? It’s been a really long journey paving the way… There’s been a lot of women who have opened the doors, but it’s an ongoing battle always. I hope to continue to pave the way for that.”
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast earlier this week, Damon explained how stunt doubles were used for the scenes involving the Laestrygonians, a race of giant cannibals.
“There were these stuntmen who were all seven feet and then they got stunt men who were under five feet,” said Damon. “My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.”
He continued: “There are those shots where you see these giants looming over me. It was almost 100 per cent my arms in the movie, but you got to give it up where it’s due.”