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The star of ‘The Odyssey’ was evidently reading Homer’s epic poem almost 30 years ago
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Photographer Greg Williams shared a throwback photo on his Instagram of Matt Damon on the set of The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1998
In the black-and-white shot, Damon can be seen reading a book that Williams says is Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey
Damon now leads Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation of The Odyssey
Matt Damon has been preparing to play Odysseus for longer than anyone realized.
On photographer Greg Williams’ Instagram page, Damon, 55, can be seen sitting under an umbrella and reading The Odyssey on the set of The Talented Mr. Ripley, the 1999 thriller he starred in decades before leading Christopher Nolan‘s new adaptation (in theaters now).
As Williams explained in his throwback post’s caption, Damon was reading “a 1954 Penguin edition of Homer’s classic, which is very much what Tom Ripley might have chosen to read.”
Damon starred as the titular enigmatic con artist in writer-director Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. The hit movie costarred Cate Blanchett — also glimpsed, in Williams’ black-and-white photo, from behind while seated in a chair — as well as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jack Davenport.
“This was taken in August 1998 in Piazza Navona, Rome, and shot on film,” Williams, 53, wrote of the photograph, one of many published in his first book, Greg Williams On Set. “It was my first time working with Matt. This was a moment when he was moving from co-star roles to lead.”
Now that Damon has portrayed Odysseus on the big screen, he added, “It’s amazing that a photo that is 30 years old now has more relevance than ever. It’s a picture that’s aged well.”
When the Good Will Hunting Oscar winner first encountered Homer’s Odyssey, he recently told PEOPLE, “I wasn’t imagining being in it.” Recalling reading the “foundational story,” he said, “I feel like depending on what time in your life you encounter it or re-encounter it, you get a lot of different things from it, which is I think one of the reasons why it’s endured.”
The Odyssey, also starring Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie and Travis Scott, is in theaters now.
Williams is a photographer, filmmaker and author, known for his books of photos from the sets of James Bond movies.
Read the original article on People
