Devyn Dalton was busy on a film shoot in New Zealand when a clip of Matt Damon saying she has the “greatest arms” he’s ever seen went viral this week. The Vancouver actor and stunt performer—who doubled for Damon during one of the most visually striking scenes in box office smash “The Odyssey”—said her friends started tagging her in social media comments, and the next thing she knew her name was popping up everywhere. “I was really humbled,” Dalton told CTV News. “I never thought, especially with my size, that I would be doubling for Hollywood’s leading man, so it’s pretty awesome.” Dalton, who is 4’6”, was hired to play Damon’s character Odysseus in the battle against the mythical Laestrygonians, a tribe of man-eating giants. The Laestrygonians were portrayed by real actors as well, some 7’ tall, with director Christopher Nolan using forced-perspective camera tricks to avoid the need for computer effects. Dalton said she felt privileged to work among the film’s hugely talented crew, and hopes the attention her performance is garnering will inspire others to follow their own dreams. Being celebrated for her physical strength has been particularly important to her, she said. “I’ve had a big outreach from girls and females especially about that, and that’s been really touching,” Dalton said. “It’s really amazing of Matt to just kind of throw a little recognition, and I hope it shines more of a light on stunt actors and the work we do.” Dalton said she didn’t initially seek out work as a stunt performer, but developed a passion for the craft following one of her earliest acting jobs—doing a motion capture performance as one of the apes in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” alongside Andy Serkis. “I started training with some people doing martial arts, weapon work,” Daltons said. “As a stunt performer, you kind of have to be like a jack of all trades, and there’s so many skills to obtain.” With some 90 credits to her name, Dalton said she’s now doubled as all manner of “boys, girls, creatures, animals”—noting it’s rare, but not at all unheard of for women to double as men in the industry. “Obviously for the sequence of the Laestrygonians fight, it was about your size, your build, but then also your ability,” she said. As she keeps hard at work on her latest project, far from home across the Pacific Ocean, Dalton has a simple message for her new fans and followers: “Always embrace who you are.” “With my height, it took me a long time to feel confident,” Dalton said. “Now, just embracing it, it’s gifted me so many beautiful things.”
