Meet the Canadian woman who was Matt Damon's stunt double in The Odyssey

Meet the Canadian woman who was Matt Damon's stunt double in The Odyssey

'My double was a woman, a female stunt performer, who had the greatest arms I've ever seen,' the actor said

Canadian stunt performer reacts to Matt Damon's praise

Matt Damon's biceps in The Odyssey have been getting plenty of attention lately — but not for the reason some might think.

During a recent interview, Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz praised the actor for having "the greatest bicep work I've seen outside of a Hemsworth film."

But Damon was quick to confess that, in at least one key scene in Christopher Nolan's action-fantasy epic, those impressive arms belonged to someone else.

His stunt double was a Canadian woman, Devyn Dalton, who is from Vancouver, B.C. — and, according to Damon, has "the greatest arms [I've] ever seen."

"When we did the forced perspective stuff of the Laestrygonians … there were these stuntmen who were all seven feet," Damon explained in the now-viral clip, referring to the giant warriors featured in the film.

Canadian woman works as Matt Damon's stunt double in The Odyssey

"Then they got stuntmen who were under five feet. And so my double was a woman, a female stunt performer, who had the greatest arms I've ever seen."

Dalton, for her part, was left speechless by the praise.

The four-foot-six performer told CBC News she couldn't believe her eyes — or ears — when friends sent her the clip.

"My jaw kind of dropped, I just thought it was so awesome," said Dalton, 34, who also boasts an impressive resume as an actor, voice-over artist, performance capture artist and dancer.

"I'm definitely not the only stunt woman who is doubling men, and I think it's so cool to shine a light on that."

Damon, who portrays Odysseus in the film, also reflected on meeting Dalton for the first time in the catering tent during production. In the interview, he recalled giving her a hug and thanking her for all the "hard work she put in."

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"So there are those shots in the movie where you see these giants looming over me … it was almost 100 per cent my arms in the movie, but you gotta give it up where it's due," he said.

Dalton appears to appreciate the credit. The stunt performer, whose IMDB credits include Once Upon a Time, The Last of Us and Percy Jackson and the Olympians, commented on the viral clip, writing, "It was my honour to double @matt_damon_official ♥️."

She also shared her own video on Instagram showcasing moments of her time filming The Odyssey in the Scottish Highlands, along with a caption praising Damon and expressing her gratitude for being a part of the "adventure."

Dalton said the recognition means the world in an industry where women remain underrepresented and body image pressures abound.

"I think celebrating being a strong female and just embracing my athletic body type and all that goes into that, I think, is so important," she said.

Since the clip went viral, Dalton said she's received a "massive" outpouring of support, especially from young women and girls.

"It makes me emotional because if I can somehow be an inspiration or help them continue their dream, that's what it's all about really," she said.

While Dalton lent her arms to at least one scene, Damon said he did some heavy lifting of his own.

The Bourne Identity star told People magazine he returned to his high school weight of 167 pounds to prepare for the role.

"I didn't change in an unhealthy way," he said in a recent cover story for the magazine. "It was more about just getting really, really physically fit, which just really involves changing your diet, just a whole lifestyle change."

The Odyssey is based on the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer that follows the Greek hero Odysseus (Damon) and his perilous 10-year struggle to return home to Ithaca following the Trojan War.

The film also stars Anne Hathaway as Odysseus's wife, Penelope, and Tom Holland as his son, Telemachus, along with several other Hollywood heavyweights, including Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Travis Scott, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton and Benny Safdie.

Kayla McLean is a web journalist with CBC News in Toronto. She grew up in Brampton, Ont., and received her bachelor of arts in media production at Toronto Metropolitan University. Before joining CBC in 2024, she worked as a breaking news reporter at Global News Toronto — covering everything from crime, sports, festivals and politics. She also reported for Global News's current affairs show, The New Reality, covering stories with a focus on racial equality and climate justice. She also previously held positions as a chase producer and writer for CTV News Channel.