Christopher Nolan Gave His Coat to John Leguizamo During Odyssey Filming— and Matt Damon’s Reaction Was Priceless

John Leguizamo has shared one of the most memorable behind-the-scenes moments from the set of Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey — and it involves a coat, a freezing February day, and one very unimpressed Matt Damon.

The 65-year-old actor, who plays Eumaeus — a devoted, blind friend and servant to Damon’s Odysseus — spoke with PEOPLE at the film’s New York City premiere on July 14, reflecting on the human moments that made the physically demanding production so meaningful to him personally.

The Coat That Started Everything

Leguizamo recalled filming a particularly intense scene in which his character Eumaeus experiences a fever dream. He was deep into the emotional demands of the sequence — describing his approach as “method” — and the cold was making things significantly harder. The production was shooting in February, and the period-accurate costume he was wearing consisted of what he cheerfully described as a “mini-skirt” — historically appropriate, but offering essentially no insulation against the elements.

Nolan, watching from just behind the camera as is his established directorial habit, noticed that Leguizamo was visibly struggling with the cold. Without making a fuss about it, the director simply took off his own coat and placed it around the actor’s shoulders.

The gesture was quiet, personal, and exactly the kind of thing that tends to stay with a performer. But the immediate response from Damon may have been even more memorable.

Matt Damon’s Reaction in Odyssey Filming

Damon, who had spent the better part of six months filming across open oceans and enduring the brutal cold of Iceland for the role — without, apparently, receiving any similar treatment — looked at the coat being handed to Leguizamo and pointed out the somewhat glaring disparity. Leguizamo recalled Damon’s comment with obvious affection, describing him as genuinely funny in the moment while also being completely right to call it out.

Beyond that specific exchange, Leguizamo spoke at length about what it was like to work with Damon more broadly. Having previously shared screen time with him in the 2000 animated film Titan A.E., he said he still came onto The Odyssey without knowing quite what to expect — and was caught off guard by how generous, humble, and grounded Damon was throughout the entire production. He described Damon as carrying the heaviest creative load of anyone in the ensemble without ever complaining, always showing up with warmth for the crew, and never once having an unkind word for anyone around him.

What Makes Nolan Different as a Director

Leguizamo also used the interview to speak about one of the things that made working with Nolan so distinctive — the fact that the director consistently positions himself physically behind the camera during shooting, rather than monitoring the action from a remote video village.

For Leguizamo, that proximity changed everything. He described the experience of being able to make eye contact with the director during a take as creating a sense of safety and visibility that made genuine emotional vulnerability far easier to access. He framed it as one of the most significant things a director can do for a performer — something that in his view sets Nolan apart from most others working at this level.

The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17, featuring a cast that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, and Himesh Patel alongside Leguizamo and Damon.