According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jon Bernthal refused the offer to step out of freezing water, delivering a defiant response that ended up inspiring the entire cast during the months-long production.
Jon Bernthal’s Defiant Stand Set the Tone for ‘The Odyssey’
The story unfolded only a few weeks into production while Nolan was filming the Trojan Horse sequence in Morocco. Bernthal, who plays Menelaus in the film, was assigned to spend the scene standing neck-deep in water as the massive wooden horse rested partially submerged. The tank had been intended to keep the actors comfortable, but once cameras rolled, the water was unexpectedly ice cold. Within minutes, Bernthal was visibly shaking, prompting Nolan to suggest pulling him from the scene.
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The actor had no interest in stopping. Instead, he looked at the filmmaker and declared, “You ain’t breaking me, Chris. There’s nothing you can do to break me.” Nolan kept the cameras rolling, allowing the sequence to continue despite the brutal conditions.
The impact extended well beyond that single day. Matt Damon, who leads the film as Odysseus, later recalled that Bernthal’s determination became an example everyone carried through the rest of the demanding shoot. “That was the first example of somebody pushing past what they thought they could do,” Damon said, adding that “Nobody in that horse was ever going to complain for the next five months about anything because of what we saw.” He also credited the moment with establishing “how we needed to show up for each other and for the movie.”
“The Odyssey” is Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem and follows Odysseus’ long journey home after the Trojan War. Starring Matt Damon alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Samantha Morton and Bernthal, the large-scale production was filmed across multiple countries using IMAX 70 mm cameras throughout its entire shoot.
