Matt Damon has received a once-in-a-lifetime congratulations call from his best friend Ben Affleck after Affleck saw Christopher Nolan's upcoming blockbuster The Odyssey. The $250 million epic, forecast to earn $1 billion at the box office, opens next Friday, July 17, 2026.
Ben Affleck's Emotional Reaction
Speaking at the London premiere, Damon, 55, said: "Ben has seen the movie already. He called me recently and I was like ‘I have been waiting 45 years for this phone call.’" The film, shot entirely with IMAX cameras, stars Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, and Charlize Theron.
Christopher Nolan's Vision
Director Christopher Nolan, who won best picture and best director Oscars for Oppenheimer in 2024, brings the Bronze Age story of Greek warrior king Odysseus to life. Damon champions Nolan not just for his talent but also for his stance on smartphones: "Chris very famously doesn't have a smart phone. He wants to preserve that time. Like let your mind wander rather than just instantly give it the dopamine hit of Candy Crush."
Damon on Smartphones and Boredom
Damon also advocates for children to ditch smartphones and embrace boredom. He said: "Boredom was great growing up. Remember how bored you'd be as a kid? Then you'd figure something out. You'd figure out a way to entertain yourself or you'd go make something up." He added: "This is a species-wide experiment."
Jason Bourne in a Smartphone World
Damon noted that a modern Jason Bourne film would be impossible due to smartphone ubiquity: "I mean Bourne would be on his phone now the whole time. Cut back to the CIA and everyone's just on their phones - the bad guys too. And then the tech overlords are making trillions of dollars. That's the movie!"
Damon and Affleck's Enduring Friendship
Damon compared his friendship with Affleck to Paul McCartney and John Lennon after watching The Beatles: Get Back. He said: "It reminded me of how we both started out. At the end, there's this incredible scene when The Beatles play for the final time on the roof of Apple Records in London. It's like the most joyful thing as they are all in their 20s."
He added: "I watched it with my youngest daughter, who was 11 at the time, and she went, ‘Dad, why are you crying?’ The tears were just pouring down my face. It made me so sad, as there were these guys who couldn't get past whatever it was that wouldn't allow them to keep doing it together."
Shared Bank Account and Early Days
Reflecting on their early careers, Damon recalled sharing a bank account with Affleck before Good Will Hunting won two Oscars in 1998. He said: "We used to share a Bay Bank account that we would put money in that we had made professionally. So, if we got any part or extra work, we would get $50 or $100 and that money would go into our shared account." The passcode was "River P" after River Phoenix.
Damon described the thrill of their success: "It feels as if you have won the lottery, but your best friend won it too."
The Odyssey Release
The Odyssey opens in cinemas from next Friday, July 17, 2026.
