Christopher Nolan’s most anxious moments come before release, says Matt Damon
Matt Damon pulls back the curtain on Christopher Nolan, revealing which part of the filmmaking process leaves the director at his most vulnerable.
On the night before a movie hits theaters, Christopher Nolan is anything but unflappable, according to Matt Damon . In a new GQ interview, Damon says the director ’s steadiest hand gives way to nerves at the very last moment — when the film is about to meet its audience.
“Chris [Nolan], the most nervous he is in the entire process, from the very beginning to the very end, is the eve of the film coming out,” Damon said.
Damon added that Nolan doesn’t hide it, because that’s the one point in the process he can’t control — the public’s reaction.
“He’s genuinely nervous. He talks openly about it, because that is the moment that you put it out into the world and you have to live with the reaction,” Damon added to GQ.
The actor — who’s worked with Nolan before on Interstellar and Oppenheimer — said that with The Odyssey , the team felt relief once the movie opened and strong word-of-mouth started rolling in. For Damon, that early audience response mattered even more given the project’s huge budget and the higher stakes that come with it.
Awards push
As the film rides its theatrical momentum, Universal is mounting a broad Oscars campaign for The Odyssey. Here’s how the studio is positioning its cast:
- Best Actor — Matt Damon
- Best Supporting Actress — Anne Hathaway
- Best Supporting Actress — Samantha Morton
- Best Supporting Actor — Tom Holland
- Best Supporting Actor — Robert Pattinson
The studio’s awards push begins the week of November 9, 2026 .