Actor Matt Damon has revealed that he permanently cut gluten from his diet after discovering it had been affecting his health, describing the change as life-altering. He made the comments on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast while discussing the intense physical transformation he undertook to play Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's forthcoming film "The Odyssey". The revelation matters because it links his on-screen body change to a previously unrecognised food sensitivity that he says has improved how he feels day to day.

Damon, who dropped to 167 pounds — what he called his "high school" weight — for the role, said the process required total commitment rather than careful planning, along with eating a little less. He admitted he had not realised how much gluten was affecting him, and that although he misses bread, beer, pasta and pizza, he feels significantly better without them. Poehler noted that people of their generation often grew up unaware of food sensitivities. Damon has previously detailed the gruelling training regime he followed for the Nolan epic, which recently held its London premiere.