All The Stunts In The Odyssey Were Pretty Real. That Includes The Drowning

Minor spoilers for The Odyssey lie ahead.

As general audiences and critics heap praise on The Odyssey, something that’s been noted quite often is just how practically made the film is. Writer/director Christopher Nolan is known for shying away from soundstages and visual effects whenever possible, and he certainly commits that principle to heart with his 2026 movie release. The cast (and crew) really went all in as a result of that and even performed some serious stunts. And, as CinemaBlend learned, that included drowning scenes.

Much of The Odyssey takes place in and around large bodies of water, especially since the film heavily centers around Odysseus and his men’s attempt to return to the island of Ithaca. Cast member Himesh Patel (who plays Eurylochus) recently spoke with us about having to act like he was drowning for one particularly intense scene of the film. When asked if acting out drowning is essentially just drowning, Patel agreed with that summation and added the following thoughts:

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There’s one particular sequence with the Laestrygonians where I’m being drowned before, you know, there’s a savior moment. But that was basically, you know, I was like — So George [Cottle], the stunt director, I was like, ‘How are we doing this?’ He was like, ‘Just put your head in the water.’

Having to perform such a wild moment seems daunting enough, but that’s only the half of it. When our own Hannah Saulic asked if Patel trained before performing that particular stunt, he shared an honest answer that also delighted co-star John Leguizamo (who plays Eumaeus):

Patel: [George’s] like, ‘You’ll be fine. We’re not going to let you drown.’ But there is no alternative. You just got to sort of look like you’re drowning and flail around.
Leguizamo: While you’re drowning.
Patel: Yeah, while you’re drowning.

Even with safety measures in place, I still would’ve been anxious about performing that drowning scene. To the stunt team’s credit, though, the scene is incredibly convincing, and I was stressed out while watching it. Check out Himesh Patel discussing the topic in the Instagram video below:

Many of Odyssey’s stars were put in the position to step out of their comfort zones while shooting Nolan’s ambitious film. Leading man Matt Damon talked about being “wet” and “cold” during portions of the shoot, and he and Nolan also recalled shooting the Cyclops scene in a truly “dank” cave. At one point, Charlize Theron also acted through massive winds that got up to 30 to 40 miles per hour. Even while facing the elements, though, many of the stars have talked about feeling excited and grateful to be part of the movie.

I’d say their efforts weren’t in vain either, considering how The Odyssey has rocked the box office and earned considerable buzz following history-based nitpicks and further Internet-based backlash. Given the drowning scenes, battle sequences and more, it’s probably safe to assume Himesh Patel and his co-stars won’t soon forget their time making this movie. On that note, see the historical epic for yourself, as it’s currently playing in theaters nationwide.