"there were times where I was like, I'm a complete impostor here."
Himesh Patel revealed he felt like an “impostor” while filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey alongside Matt Damon.
The former EastEnders actor previously worked with the filmmaker on Tenet. However, the scale and physical demands of The Odyssey presented a new challenge.
Himesh plays Eurylochus, Odysseus’s second-in-command, which meant a lot of scenes with Matt Damon.
On The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Himesh explained that the production pushed him beyond his comfort zone, especially in terms of physicality.
When asked whether the film had challenged him, Himesh admitted:
“Completely.
“I mean, you know, I don’t have the physicality as much as like, Matt Damon does or a bunch of the guys I was on that boat with and so it really made me go, I really need to step up my game here because the next time I’m asked to do something that physical, I just want to feel like I’m ready.”
Himesh revealed that he only had a couple of months to prepare for the demanding production and did not feel he was in the best shape when filming began.
“I only had a couple of months really to get ready for this and I wasn’t necessarily in the best habits overall.
“So there were times where I was like, I’m a complete impostor here.
“Like, I don’t know what I’m doing. You know, I’m trying to climb up onto this boat and I’m like, I can’t do one pull-up. You know what I mean? That’s what it feels like.”
Himesh Patel explained that the cast were regularly placed in physically demanding situations:
“Those scenes where we’re running away from the Cyclops and into the sea trying to claw our way onto the boat. That was just what we were doing. We were just running into the sea.
“The boats are pulling away. We’re climbing on top of each other and I had bruises everywhere at the end of that day.”
The stunt team helped reassure the actors that they could safely perform the demanding sequences.
Himesh explained: “But you know, we’ve got the best stunt team in the world. So you just kind of look at them and go, ‘Am I about to die or not?’ And they’re like, ‘You’re fine. It’s just going to be a few bumps and scrapes. That’s all’.”
The experience brought Himesh closer to his co-stars and recalled reassuring words from Matt Damon once filming ended.
He revealed to Romesh: “He just sort of put his arm around me and was like, ‘Man, I think we’ve made a good one’.
“And I thought, ‘Well, if Matt Damon’s saying that, he’s been in quite a few good movies’.”
Himesh Patel also joked about seeing the Hollywood star looking fit while filming and realising that he needed to improve his own physical preparation.
Featuring an ensemble cast, The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic.
The film is currently the second highest-grossing film of 2026, with over $1.1 billion.
Watch the Full Interview
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