Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has become one of 2026’s biggest showcases for practical stunt work. Stunt coordinator George Cottle and his team used physical rigs, stunt performers, boats, forced perspective and real environments to create action that audiences could easily mistake for visual effects.
Updated 22 August 2026.
Two stories in particular have put the stunt department into the mainstream spotlight: the technically ambitious Scylla and Charybdis sequence, and the attention surrounding Matt Damon’s stunt double Devyn Dalton.
The Odyssey · Official New Trailer
Official trailer via Universal Pictures.
How was the Scylla stunt in The Odyssey filmed?
One of the most discussed sequences involves Odysseus and his crew encountering Scylla and Charybdis. In a WIRED interview, the cast explained that the production created part of the whirlpool effect practically. Jet skis were used to disturb the water while George Cottle installed six ratchet systems aboard the actual boat.
Six stunt performers were then physically pulled from the deck to represent Scylla taking Odysseus’ men. Rather than relying entirely on computer-generated movement, the production gave the visual-effects department real water behaviour and real performer movement to build upon.
Watch the cast explain the Scylla stunt on WIRED.
That distinction matters. The most convincing modern action sequences are frequently not a competition between practical stunts and VFX. They are a collaboration between stunt design, special effects, camera, rigging and visual effects.
Who is Matt Damon’s stunt double in The Odyssey?
Another stunt performer attracting worldwide attention is Devyn Dalton, a Canadian stunt professional who doubled Matt Damon during sequences involving the giant Laestrygonians.
The production used performers of different heights to help create the forced-perspective illusion that the Laestrygonians towered over Odysseus and his crew. The cast has described using seven-foot stunt performers alongside doubles under five feet to create the scale difference in camera while minimising CG.
Damon subsequently praised Dalton publicly, drawing mainstream media attention to her work. It is a useful example of something stunt departments understand well: doubling is not always simply about finding someone who looks exactly like an actor.
Height, body proportions, movement ability, specialist skills, costume requirements, camera perspective and the physical requirements of a sequence can all influence the performer selected.
Why The Odyssey matters for the stunt industry
The wider significance of The Odyssey is the amount of public attention being directed toward the people actually designing and executing the action.
For decades, publicity around action films has frequently revolved around how much of a stunt an actor supposedly performed themselves. That narrative can obscure the considerably larger system behind the shot: stunt coordinators, performers, doubles, riggers, fight coordinators, second-unit teams and specialist action departments.
The Odyssey is giving audiences a rare glimpse into that machinery.
What is stunt design?
Stunt design is the process of developing how physical action works within a film. Depending on the production, that can involve performer selection, choreography, rigging, vehicle work, fights, falls, wire systems, rehearsals, previs, camera integration and coordination with departments including VFX and special effects.
The result audiences eventually see may last only seconds. Creating those seconds can involve weeks of development.
The Oscar arrives at exactly the right moment
The Academy Awards will begin recognising Achievement in Stunt Design for films released in 2027, with the first award presented at the 100th Oscars in 2028. That means films like The Odyssey are arriving just before stunt design formally enters the Academy’s competitive awards structure.
Read our guide to the new Oscar for Achievement in Stunt Design.
What The Odyssey gets right about practical action
The best stunt work is not simply about doing something dangerous. It is about designing physical storytelling that serves the camera.
A ratchet pull becomes a monster attack. Different-sized performers become giants through perspective. Real water movement gives VFX something physically believable to enhance. Those decisions are not isolated tricks. They are filmmaking.
That is why the increased public recognition of George Cottle, Devyn Dalton and the wider stunt team matters. The audience is starting to see the architecture behind the action.
Frequently asked questions about The Odyssey stunts
Who is the stunt coordinator for The Odyssey?
George Cottle led the stunt department on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Who doubled Matt Damon in The Odyssey?
Among the performers doubling Damon was Canadian stunt performer Devyn Dalton, who worked in forced-perspective sequences involving the Laestrygonians.
Were The Odyssey stunts practical?
The production combines practical stunt work with visual effects and other filmmaking techniques. The Scylla sequence, for example, involved real ratchet rigs pulling stunt performers from a real boat while jet skis created water movement for the whirlpool effect.
Why did The Odyssey use different-sized stunt doubles?
Different performer heights helped create forced-perspective scale differences in camera, allowing the Laestrygonians to appear much larger than Odysseus and his crew.
South African stunt talent for film, TV and commercials
Sabotage Elite Action Lab represents South African stunt performers, action specialists and movement athletes working across film, television, commercials, branded content and live productions.
Browse the Sabotage Elite talent roster or explore more SEAL screen and commercial work.
Featured image: photo by Alonso Reyes via Unsplash.