Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon has praised his co-stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, commending the young actors for how they handle the intense pressures of global fame, while also reflecting on what he sees as a changing era in Hollywood.
In a recent interview with GQ, Damon spoke about working with the duo on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey, noting that both stars face a level of public scrutiny far greater than what he experienced at their age.
“He and Zendaya both, individually and together, are dealing with a lot more than I had to,” Damon said. “And I think doing it really gracefully.”
The Odyssey, scheduled for release on July 17, is a cinematic adaptation of Homer’s classic epic. Damon stars as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, on his long journey home following the Trojan War. Tom Holland plays his son, Telemachus, while Zendaya takes on the role of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
Damon expressed particular admiration for Holland, describing him as someone he deeply respects despite the ongoing pressure that comes with his global stardom.
“I really adore that guy,” Damon added. “And he’s handling a lot of scrutiny.”
Beyond his praise for his co-stars, Damon also opened up about the emotional significance of the project, describing it as a nostalgic experience that reminded him of the earlier days of filmmaking.
“Because of where the movie business is going, it was a really weird movie for me personally,” he said. “I had almost a nostalgic feeling the entire time I was making it, because it felt like movies were when I started working.”
The actor further noted that the opportunity to work on such a large-scale, traditional production may be rare going forward.
“I know that that’s going away. I knew that this was the last chance I was ever going to have to do something like this,” he said.
The Odyssey marks another major collaboration between Damon and acclaimed director Christopher Nolan and is already generating significant anticipation ahead of its release.
