Matt Damon recalls feeling jealous with Tom Holland after Christopher Nolan praised Zendaya's acting

'She got a ‘perfect’? I’ve never even gotten a ‘great'’, Damon recalls joking on 'The Odyssey' set

Matt Damon has revealed that he and co-star Tom Holland were left envious of the praise Zendaya received from director Christopher Nolan while filming The Odyssey.

Speaking to ELLE, Damon explained that Nolan is known for being restrained with compliments on set, making his reaction to Zendaya’s performance stand out to the cast.

“Chris is known for being very circumspect. So when you do a take, it’s not like he says, ‘That was great.’ He’ll go, ‘Yep, good. Okay.’ And that is the equivalent of the greatest praise you could ever get,” Damon said.

He added, “Zendaya, on the other hand — there were takes where she did one thing, she did this amazing scene, and he said, ‘Cut.’ And then he went, ‘Perfect.’”

Damon said he and Holland joked about the moment throughout filming. “Literally, Tom and I were obsessed with this. She got a ‘perfect’? I’ve never even gotten a ‘great.’”

Zendaya plays Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. Damon stars as Odysseus, while Holland portrays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway.

Nolan also praised Zendaya’s professionalism on set, saying, “She’s a true movie star, but also an incredible actor.”

The Odyssey is scheduled for release on July 17 and also stars Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o and Robert Pattinson.