Matt Damon Heaps Praise On Tom Holland and Zendaya, Calls “The Odyssey” His Last Chance At Old-School Hollywood

Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon has spoken warmly about his co-stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, describing both young stars as handling the pressures of fame with remarkable grace, while also reflecting on what he believes may be a turning point for the movie industry.

In an interview with GQ published Tuesday, June 2, Damon, 55, praised his co-stars on the upcoming Christopher Nolan epic, The Odyssey, saying the pair are navigating far greater public scrutiny than he ever faced at the stage of their careers. “He and Zendaya both, individually and together, are dealing with a lot more than I had to,” Damon said. “And I think doing it really gracefully.”

The Odyssey, set for a July 17 theatrical release, is an adaptation of Homer’s classic epic. Damon leads the cast as Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on his long journey home following the Trojan War. Holland, 30, portrays his son Telemachus, while Zendaya, 29, takes on the role of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

Damon expressed particular fondness for Holland, noting that despite his age, the Spider-Man star continues to be cast in son roles. “I really adore that guy,” Damon said. “And he’s handling a lot of scrutiny.”

Beyond his co-stars, Damon also opened up about the deeper personal significance of making the film amid a rapidly shifting entertainment landscape. He described the experience as “a little bewildering,” saying it stirred a sense of nostalgia for the kind of filmmaking that defined his early career.

“Because of where the movie business is going, it was a really weird movie for me personally,” he explained. “I had almost a nostalgic feeling the entire time I was making it, because it felt like movies were when I started working.”

He added that he was acutely aware that the opportunity may not come again. “I know that that’s going away. I knew that this was the last chance I was ever going to have to do something like this,” Damon said.

The Odyssey marks another major collaboration between Damon and Nolan, and is widely anticipated as one of the biggest films of the summer.