Matt Damon has fought monsters, survived Mars and played everyone from Jason Bourneto Odysseus. But when the Oscar winner was asked recently about filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, whichcontinues to dominate the box office, it wasn’t one of the movie’s epic action sequences that stuck with him. It was the woman who served as his stunt double.
“When we did the force perspective stuff with theLaestrygonians… there were these stuntmen who were all 7 feet, and then they got stunt men who were under 5 feet,” Damon said on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast. Because Nolan prefers practical effects over CGI, the sequence relied on forced perspective, with stunt performers of different heights creating the illusion of towering giants. “My double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.”
That shout-out instantly thrust Canadian stunt performer Devyn Dalton into the spotlight. The 34-year-old has spent years quietly helping bring blockbuster films to life, transforming herself into everything from apes through motion capture to one of Hollywood’s biggest leading men. While audiences may only now be learning her name, the viral moment was decades in the making.
In an interview with Yahoo’s Taryn Ryder, Dalton reflects on the years of training that led toThe Odyssey, what it was like meeting Damon and how she’s spent her career showing that strength comes in all sizes.
I’m 4-foot-6, and somehow I landed one of the biggest jobs of my career: doubling Matt Damon in The Odyssey. It didn’t happen overnight. It was years of training, persistence and proving that strength doesn’t come in just one size.
Then one interview changed everything.
Matt was talking about the film when he mentioned that I had “the greatest arms” he’d ever seen. My phone started blowing up at 4 in the morning.
At first, it was just friends tagging me in the clip. Then the interview requests started coming. I never expected this kind of attention, but it’s been incredibly humbling. The response has been so positive, and I think people genuinely love seeing a strong woman celebrated for being strong.
The funny part is that most people only heard about me because of my arms. They didn’t see the decades of work that came before them.
I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and started dancing when I was young. Dance eventually led me into theater, and when I was around 9 years old, I found a newspaper clipping advertising a talent search. I begged my mom to let me audition, and she did. I ended up signing with an agent and started working as a child actor in commercials and small television roles.
I remember thinking, ‘I want to show up and impress Matt Damon with my arms.’
After high school, I booked work on the Planet of the Apes films, where I was introduced to motion capture. That experience completely changed my career. I fell in love with telling stories through movement. While working on those films, I met stunt performers who encouraged me to start training.
What started with martial arts and fight choreography quickly became a career.
One of the things I love most about stunt work is that you’re never finished learning. Every production asks something different of you. Every performer has another skill you can study. Every role pushes you to become stronger, more athletic or more believable. I’ve always loved that challenge.
Eventually, all of those years of work led me to The Odyssey.
People often assume stunt performers audition the same way actors do, but many times, your audition is your reputation. Coordinators know your work. They know whether you’re reliable, whether you’re safe and whether you can physically do what’s being asked. Getting hired for this film was the result of years of building that trust.
The production itself was incredibly secretive. Like everyone else, I had to slowly piece together exactly what I was working on. That’s part of the magic of filmmaking, and I want to keep it that way.
What I can say is that when I found out what the role required, I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
I already train six or seven days a week. Fitness has always been part of my life, but I approached this differently. I worked with a trainer to dial in my nutrition, tracked my macros and shifted my workouts toward bodybuilding, with a particular focus on building my upper body.
I remember thinking, I want to show up and impress Matt Damon with my arms. Hearing him compliment them months later was surreal.
Of course, this job was about much more than muscles. Doubling another actor means disappearing into their performance. You’re not trying to look like yourself. You’re studying the way they move, the way they carry themselves and the energy they bring to a character. For this role, I wanted every movement to feel powerful, confident and intentional.
I’m also very aware that people don’t always expect someone who looks like me to do this kind of work.
Throughout my career, there have been moments when people looked at my size before they looked at my abilities. Early on, I sometimes felt like I had to prove myself a little more than everyone else. Eventually, though, I realized something important: The work speaks for itself.
I’ve spent years trying not to let anyone put me in a box. I never wanted my height to define what I could or couldn’t do. I wanted to be known for being dependable, hardworking and someone people trusted on set. That’s why this moment has been so emotional.
I’ve always believed in myself. But having someone like Matt publicly acknowledge my work — and having so many people celebrate it — feels like validation after years of quietly doing a job that audiences were never meant to notice.
I never wanted my height to define what I could or couldn’t do.
Matt was wonderful throughout the entire experience. He’s kind, humble and incredibly generous. He didn’t have to mention me at all, but he chose to shine a light on stunt performers and the work we do behind the scenes. I’ll always be grateful for that.
When people watch a movie, they see the stars. What they don’t always see are the hundreds of artists, craftspeople and crew members working together to make those moments possible. Every single person matters.
I hope people walk away from this story remembering that. But I also hope some young girl — especially one who’s ever felt underestimated because of how she looks — sees what’s possible.
If my story reminds even one person that strength comes in all shapes and sizes, then this unexpected moment has become something even more meaningful than I ever imagined.
This has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
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