Christopher Nolan, the filmmaker hailed for mind-bending films and epic dramas, dominates the box office and global markets – but without a phone. The 52-year-old has distanced himself from the allure of mobile devices and operates phenomenally without them. ‘The Odyssey’ lead Matt Damon confirmed the rumours and opened up about the process the director uses to contact people when needed. Here’s a closer look at Matt Damon explaining the process of contacting Christopher Nolan.Previously, the Academy Award-winning director revealed in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he does not communicate through texts or emails. Three years later, Matt Damon confirms Nolan’s unconventional way to contact an actor if he needs to. Recalling how he first understood that Nolan intended to cast him as Odysseus, the 55-year-old actor said that the director’s wife, Emma Thomas, texted him to ask whether he was free to call, per PEOPLE. The British film producer gives a “heads-up” if Nolan is going to call anyone. “And then you get a phone call from a nondescript number, because he’s just picking up a line at Universal Studios,” the actor said in the interview. Moreover, even Nolan does not know what number he would be calling from.
Matt Damon reveals the call from Christopher Nolan
Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan talked about ‘The Odyssey’ a couple of months after the filmmaker won two Academy Awards for ‘Oppenheimer.’ “He called, and we chatted for 10 or 15 minutes,” the actor said, before adding, “It was only six months after ‘Oppenheimer’ had gone through the Oscars and all of that.” The ‘Good Will Hunting’ actor presumed that Nolan would take at least a year to think about getting behind the camera. He further remembered, “So I just thought we were catching up, which we did. And then he blurted out, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking of going back to work.’ And I went, ‘Wait, already?’” Nolan did not write the characters of Odysseus and Penelope with Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway in mind. “What I’ve found over the years is if you have an actor in mind — and obviously it’s very tempting, particularly when we work with great people before, it’s tempting to cast it as you are thinking about the script — but for me that always limits what the characters can be. Because then you’re writing to what you’ve seen an actor do before,” he said to the aforementioned outlet.
About ‘The Odyssey’
Directed by Christopher Nolan, ‘The Odyssey’ revolves around the perilous journey of a Greek king who faces obstacles like sea monsters, curses, manipulation, and the consequences of collective actions while returning to his home in Ithaca from the Trojan War. Featuring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and Zendaya, the epic adventure film hits theatres on July 17, 2026.
