Arabic version: أعمال ديفين دالتون الخطرة تنال إشادة مات ديمون

According to The Guardian, Canadian stuntwoman Devyn Dalton stood in for Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, helping make the film’s giant Laestrygonians appear larger beside Odysseus and his men. Dalton, 35, is 4ft 6in (137cm) and was selected to double Damon in a pivotal scene involving the armoured cannibals.

Damon praised Dalton’s physique while speaking to podcaster Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, calling her arms “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen”. Dalton said his public recognition surprised her. “Knowing my arms impressed Matt was honestly pretty special,” she told the Guardian, adding that she appreciated his shoutout.

Dalton said she began acting professionally at age nine after creating characters, costumes and family shows as a child. Her career gradually moved into stunt performance, which she described as another way to tell stories through physical strength. She said women should also be celebrated for building careers around power.

She was cast through professional representatives and stunt coordinators, rather than an open casting call, and travelled to Scotland for filming. Dalton said the experience highlighted the scale of filmmaking, noting that scenes audiences see for minutes can represent months of preparation.

For the role, Dalton refined a training routine that includes muay thai, jiu-jitsu, dance, yoga and strength-based workouts. She said stunt performance relies on rehearsal, preparation and awareness of risk to keep work as safe as possible. Currently filming a project in New Zealand, Dalton said she hopes eventually to lead a film or series as an actor able to perform her own stunts.