Christopher Nolanthe acclaimed filmmaker for mind-blowing 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 is doing phenomenally well without them. ‘The Odyssey’ protagonist Matt Damon confirmed the rumors and opened up about the process the director uses to reach out to people when needed. Here’s a closer look at Matt Damon explaining the process of contacting Christopher Nolan.The Academy Award-winning director previously revealed in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t communicate via text or email. Three years later, Matt Damon confirms Nolan’s unconventional way of contacting an actor if he needs to. Recalling how he first learned Nolan intended to cast him as Odysseus, the 55-year-old actor said the director’s wife, Emma Thomas, texted him to ask if he was free to call, in PERSON. British film producer gives ‘warning’ if Nolan calls anyone. “And then he gets a phone call from a nondescript number, because he’s just picking up a line at Universal Studios,” the actor said in the interview. Also, even Nolan doesn’t know what number he would be calling from.
Matt Damon reveals Christopher Nolan’s call
Matt Damon and Christopher Nolan spoke 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 been through the Oscars and all that.” The ‘Good Will Hunting’ actor assumed it would take Nolan at least a year to think about getting behind the camera. He further recalled, “So I thought we were catching up, which we did. And then he said, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking about going back to work.’ And I was like, ‘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, especially when we’re working with great people before, it’s tempting to throw it out while you’re thinking about the script, but for me that always limits what the characters can be. Because then you’re writing what you’ve seen an actor do before,” he told the presser earlier.
About ‘The Odyssey’
Directed by Christopher Nolan, ‘The Odyssey’ revolves around the perilous journey of a Greek king who faces obstacles such as sea monsters, curses, manipulation and the consequences of collective action as he returns home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, the epic adventure film hits theaters on July 17, 2026.