Hour 2- Dan talks ESPN layoffs, Matt Damon

Summary

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The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 2 (July 23, 2026)

Main Theme:
Dan Patrick discusses the recent ESPN layoffs with personal reflections on the sports media industry, then welcomes Matt Damon for an in-depth conversation about his role in the new film "The Odyssey," the filmmaking process, and Damon's career. The episode weaves together sports, pop culture, media business, and humor, giving listeners both insider perspective and celebrity insight.

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ESPN Layoffs: Personal Impact & Industry Insights (02:03 – 10:44)

Key Discussion Points:

• Dan’s Reflection on ESPN Layoffs:
  • Dan reflects on recent high-profile ESPN layoffs, sharing that though he’s been gone for 20 years, he still feels for those affected.
  • Emphasizes the importance of dignity in the process of letting people go, specifically calling out instances where long-time employees like Carl Ravich (33 years) found out through the media and not privately from the company.
  • Recollects similar situations from his time in TV, noting that the industry is small and relationships matter for future opportunities.
  • Explains many layoffs are "salary dumps" and notes the fate of skilled, seasoned producers like Gus Ramsey who were dismissed for being “too good” and expensive.
  • Offers advice to young broadcasters: “Don’t expect this to be your job forever,” and stresses that staying flexible and maintaining connections is crucial.

Notable Quotes:

• "Show dignity. Give them that dignity. And Ryan Clark is on NFL Live. Hey, it’s about to break. Let’s break the news to you right now in real time… Give them the dignity they deserve." – Dan Patrick [05:24]
• "It’s hard to go into the business and say, that is going to be my job forever. I would encourage you to be open minded, have your head on a swivel." – Dan Patrick [07:24]
• "It’s not the ESPN I worked at or grew up with... But I would tell people, ESPN is not the end all." – Dan Patrick [09:08]

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Listener Calls: Movie Talk, Humor, and Relatability (14:48 – 17:48)

Key Discussion Points:

• Odyssey Movie Reviews & Sleepiness in Films:
  • Several callers comment on “The Odyssey,” with Dan humorously relating the story of falling asleep during "Cars" with his kids, only to be “ratted out” by his youngest.
• Lighthearted Banter:
  • Listeners compare Dylan's looks to characters from "Office Space" and "Dodgeball," leading to good-natured ribbing.

Notable Quotes:

• "She’s the one who ratted me out when we went to Hooters... ‘We’re not supposed to tell you we went to Hooters.’ Damn you, narc." – Dan Patrick [16:51]

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Feature Interview: Matt Damon on "The Odyssey" and More (22:40 – 38:41)

Key Discussion Points:

1. Making “The Odyssey” & Working with Christopher Nolan

• Dan introduces Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus in the epic new adaptation.
• Damon discusses the physical challenges of filming on location (IMAX experience, hiking mountains daily) and Nolan’s insistence on practical effects over CGI.
• Describes how every department was “taxed” by the scale but that everyone was “lucky” to be working with Nolan.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Chris wanted to just chuck the audience in there… It’s a lot of movie, you know." – Matt Damon [22:40]
  • "If it’s humanly possible to be done in camera, it’s going to be done in camera." – Matt Damon [28:32]

2. Red Sox Sports Talk & Movie Preparation

• Damon (a big Sox fan) and Dan trade thoughts on Boston’s surprising run, lack of stars, and baseball history.
• Damon likens this Sox team to “an independent film— they’re obsession, basically.” [24:26]

3. Physical Conditioning for Filming

• Damon describes the risk of “guy our age injuries” and measures he took to stay healthy during the grueling shoot: “At our age, to feel like, you know, I can live an adventurous life and live it fully. That’s what I’d love to keep doing.” [25:52]

4. Forthcoming Projects & Role Selection

• Damon shares that his next film is with “the Daniels” ("Everything Everywhere All At Once" directors), pitching it as “The Breakfast Club meets Inception meets anime meets John Oliver.”
• He doesn’t pick roles to avoid physicality, he goes by what seems to be a good movie.

5. Favorite Directors & Iconic Roles

• When pressed who’d direct his "final movie," Damon is respectful of all the directors he's worked with — “Nolan, Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola, Coen Brothers, my best friend Ben… It’s just impossible.”
• On "Bourne": He’s optimistic about a new Jason Bourne film (“very hopeful”), noting Edward Berger is working on the script.
• On “Good Will Hunting” sequel: “I don’t think so... It ended with this world of possibility. A sequel would narrow what it could be in the minds of the audience.” [35:41]

6. Bench Press Bet

• The crew guesses Damon’s one-rep max bench press; Damon reveals it was 315 lbs during “Bourne,” but not anymore: “Now it’s all circuit training... I’m much leaner now.” [37:08]

7. Acting Experience & Gratitude

• Praises co-stars in “The Odyssey” and past film partners; never had a bad experience on set.
• "It’s just been, you know, the joy of my life, and I really have not worked a day in my life." – Matt Damon [34:28]

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Lighthearted Wrap-up: On-Screen Deaths & No Spoilers (38:31 – 38:41)

• Dan jokes: “You killed a lot of people in there.”
  Damon laughs: “Don’t give it away! No spoilers. It’s a 3,000 year old story.” [38:35]

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Sports & Pop Culture: Celebrity Couples Banter (41:43 – 44:10)

Key Discussion Points:

• After the interview, Dan and crew riff on the most iconic sports and entertainment couples, the media impact of dating a Kardashian, and the publicity boost athletes get via relationships with A-listers.

Notable Quotes:

• "Like Tom Brady was super famous in America when he started dating Giselle. Now an NFL player becomes worldwide famous." – Paulie [43:01]
• "Chris Humphries and Kim Kardashian were married for 72 days… I keep up with the Kardashians, Marvin." – Dan Patrick [44:10]

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Calls & Final Segments: WNBA, ESPN, and Industry Talk (44:10 – End)

- Callers pose creative sports improvement ideas, bringing up WNBA/NBA three-point contests and further commentary on ESPN layoffs and network ownership (Disney/ABC).

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Notable Quotes & Highlights (with Timestamps)

• On ESPN layoffs and dignity:
  "Show dignity. Give them that dignity." – Dan Patrick [05:24]

• On relationships in media:
  "Somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. It’s a real small world that we work in." – Dan Patrick [07:24]

• Matt Damon on Nolan’s process:
  "If it’s humanly possible to be done in camera, it’s going to be done in camera." – Matt Damon [28:32]

• On film career gratitude:
  "It’s just been… the joy of my life, and I really have not worked a day in my life." – Matt Damon [34:28]

• Bench press reveal:
  "When I was doing Bourne when I was 45, I did one for 315." – Matt Damon [37:08]

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Recommended Segments (Timestamps)

• ESPN Layoffs and Industry Lessons: 02:03 – 10:44
• Listener Stories and Lighthearted Banter: 14:48 – 17:48
• Matt Damon Full Interview on The Odyssey: 22:40 – 38:41
• Celebrity Couples Rundown: 41:43 – 44:10

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This episode combines meaningful industry analysis with playful, humanizing celebrity conversation. Dan’s empathy and insight set the tone for a candid, engaging hour, capped by Matt Damon’s stories of cinematic ambition and sports fandom, all delivered with humor and humility.

Transcript

[Dan Patrick]

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[Matt Damon]

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Live the chumba [e-mail]. no purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law. 21/ Terms and Conditions apply. You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio, Hour two on this Thursday, big time movie star Matt Damon will join us in about 20 minutes from now. Stat of the Day, as always, brought to you by Panini America, the official trading car of the program this week on Sunday Night Baseball, Ben Rice, who's one of my favorite players. And the Yankees go to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies. That'll be on NBC. And Peacock, you can watch this program on Peacock. Thank you. If you're watching this morning, NFL training camps opening up and there are certain teams that show up at different times. We'll tell you why, because I thought it would be just universal. Everybody's going to show up for that first day. There's an official day of training camps. And of course, you have the whole of Fame game coming up as well. 8, 7, 7, 3, DP show email address DP danpatrick.com Twitter handle @DP Show Fritz, he's here. Dylan's here. Marv, Paulie, yours truly in the back room. Guys, I've been gone from ESPN for 20 years now. I'm asked a lot of times about things that are going on at espn and I always say, I don't know. Now I have some friends who were still there. I talked to them. But for the most part, I kind of leave ESPN. You know, up in Bristol, Connecticut, had a wonderful 18 years there. So when somebody reaches out and said, hey, what do you think of the firings at espn? Well, I don't know how to comment on that other than, you know, I hated to see Carl ravage after 33 years. Even Tom Pelissero, who just got from the NFL Network came over there. You know, there's, there's a lot of people who lost jobs and I hate seeing that in the industry. The only thing that I would say is show dignity to those people in how you let them go. That's, that's all. It can't happen that Carl Ravage is contacted by somebody wanting a comment. 33 years. And that's how it ends. Show dignity. Give them that dignity. And Ryan Clark is on NFL Live. Hey, it's about to break. It's about to break. Let's break the news to you right now in real time. If you get to the point where you know that you're not going to keep them, then contact them right away. Not wait, not wait till somebody gets on set. Not somebody from a website is going to contact Carl Ravage. Give them the dignity they deserve. Not somebody calling you and saying, hey, can you comment on you being let go after 33 years? That, to me, that, that really bothered me because you can be better than that. It, you know, it's a tough conversation to have. Bring them in, call them, go see them, zoom with them. Like 33 years. And you don't. You find out from somebody else other than your boss. That's a shame. I felt really bad for Carl Ravage. He's had a great run, but that's not how you should be told that your, your services are no longer needed here. Give them dignity, dignity so they can prepare and maybe that they'll get out in front of it. Ryan Clark is told during a commercial break, he's the one that says reportedly, am I done? Yeah, you're done. Like that's it. And then you walk out of the building. I would have said, look, I'm a professional, I'm finishing the show. I promise I won't say anything. That was always what happened when people were let go or they left for other jobs. They immediately took you off the air because they thought you might go on SportsCenter, ESPN outlets and say something. And that's why soon as it was announced, you're ushered out the door. But yeah, I felt bad about that. But the other, look, it's not the ESPN that I worked at or grew up with being a part of, but they're very successful in how they do it. But I would tell people, if you're going to go into this business, it's hard to go into the business and say, that is going to be my job forever. I would, I would encourage you to be open minded, have your head on a swivel. The chances are it won't be your last job. I think it's important to have relationships, keep the relationships because it's a real small world that we work in. Somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. Mike Golic just went back to ESPN Radio. I wouldn't be surprised if he does a cameo on Get Up. I mean, I would do that. Skip Bayless, they might be bringing him back. Rich Eisen came back. I it's a small world. There's only a couple of big time players in this with the networks. But don't go into it thinking like I did. I thought I would retire at espn and look, I chose to leave, but I didn't like what was happening and I knew that it was time to go. I got complacent. I didn't think the product was good. I was stale. SportsCenter was stale. I didn't see eye to eye with my boss and it was time to go and somebody younger should have been stepping in. But if you go into this business, just Understand, I had a friend, Gus Ramsey, who I think is the best coordinating producer who ever worked at espn. And he headed up my broadcasting school. That's how much I thought of Gus. He got let go because he was too good. He made too much money. Like, you get to a certain point where there's a glass ceiling. Like, imagine that you're over 50. You've worked hard. Hey, you make too much money, we gotta let you. I mean, it's a salary dump. And that's what these layoffs are. And look, I'll always beholden to espn. They gave me an opportunity. Without them, I'm not here. I just want them to remember the people, and they are people, and be fair to them. Allow them to walk out with their head high or as high as you can. Allow them to do that. And I don't know if Carl Ravitch is able to say that today. You embarrassed him. Ryan Clark, you embarrassed him. Cam Newton seemed okay with it. He's got other things. David Lloyd. David Lloyd is there every single day and one of the nicest persons that you ever meet. You know, he probably made too much money. So if you. If you're going into this business, just understand, ESPN is not the end all NBC is not the end all Fox. Because you might think it is, but it won't be. It's really, really rare that you're able to go wire to wire or you're going to be there for 15 or 20 years. I mean, for every Reese Davis, there's, you know, tens. If not, you know, 20, 30 anchors got kicked to the curb and, you know, it might happen to Reese one day. So it's. It's a crazy business. It's a wonderful business. And how you treat your people, it's easy to treat you well when you're doing well. You got to make a tough decision. Okay. I went through that with NBC with Football Night in America and the Olympics. Tough decision. All right. Decision made. Say it to people's faces. Yeah, Paulie, I just wanted to.

[Matt Damon]

We were talking about this while you were doing this. You said you're at ESPN for 18 years, right?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Matt Damon]

You've now been away from ESPN longer than you were at espn, if my math is right.

[Dan Patrick]

Yep. Yep.

[Matt Damon]

That's a surreal thought. I hadn't thought about that. None of us had thought about that.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I've said it before. Been here 20 years doing this. I was there for 18 years. All right. And I have good things to say about a lot of people that work there. I don't know Most of the people who are working there, and the product is different. It's changed. It's okay. It's. You know, I was there at the right time, and I benefited greatly from that. Those who went back, good for you, because they realized. Rich Eisen, NFL Network, they're closing up shop. You want to jump on board? Yes. And he's done well. Mike Golick, he was with DraftKings and FanDuel, I think. And now all of a sudden, jobs are lost. Hey, you want to come back? Yes and no. I was never asked to come back. Just so you know. I would not have come back because I have a great job here, and my. I'm my own boss, and I have the people who I truly trust in doing what we're doing. But I don't begrudge anybody. If you go back to a job or you got, you know, unceremoniously kicked to the curb, you know, my Golic let go. Rich Eisen let go. Not renewed. All right, you got, you know, bad blood. You'll get over it. No, still, you got a job. It's survival of the fittest. Okay? But I wanted to say that, because I did have two media outlets that wanted to know what I thought. And I said, you know what? I'll say it on my show. I'm not gonna say it because I don't know the situations with Ryan or Carl or how much money they're making or any of those things, but just. Just dignity, that's all. Pride. Let me feel good about. And it took me a long time to feel good about ESPN again, by the way they treated me when I left the first couple of years. And I thought, man, they are petty. I'm nobody. But I was somebody. I just didn't realize how important that was. They didn't want me to succeed because they didn't want anybody else to go, you know what? I think I'm going to do what he's doing. Yes. More, do you recommend anybody doing what you did? No, no, because I told no names. But there were. There were a couple of people who said, hey, is it possible that I could go out on my own like you? And I told all three, do not. Do not. Like, this is one of those finished product. You know, when you're. When you're going to restore a car and you go, boy, that looks great. Well, you don't see it when the. The wheels are off, the engines out, the body needs paint. That was me when we first started, and it's really difficult. I was lucky. I Was very, very fortunate. So I would tell them, stay. It's a great address. I mean, ESPN makes stars out of people. It's. It's amazing. It makes. It still makes stars out of people. Let me see David in California. Hi, David. How are you today? Hey, thanks, Dan. Thanks for taking my call. And thanks for having me follow that. I was talking about the Odyssey. It was awesome. I notoriously fall asleep in movies. And like you, I probably should have read that in high school. I tell people I think I read the Cliff Notes, but it was three hours and I told my wife, I'm gonna fall asleep during this movie. I did not. Stayed into it the whole time. And I just wanted to say, commenting on what Dylan was asking about the Trojan horse, I'm thinking about myself.

[Matt Damon]

That too.

[Dan Patrick]

The whole time I'm like, that story. Like, that's ridiculous. How would they. And they just let him in. That's not how they portrayed it in the movie. Yeah.

[Matt Damon]

And not to give anything away, but

[Dan Patrick]

it was like, oh, that could work. I see that. So, yeah, I can't imagine. All of a sudden, you know, you got somebody who's at the door. It's. It's a. It's a Trojan horse. Well, bring him in. Yeah, come on in, guys. What could go wrong here? Corey in Kansas City. Hi, Corey. What do you have for me today? Hey, good morning, Mr. Patrick. Thank you very much for taking my phone call. Good morning, boys. Marv. Wu Tang forever. I'm actually getting ready to walk out the door right now to go catch a 10 o' clock screening of the Odysse. So pretty. Pretty stoked about that. But I wanted to comment about Dylan. Two celebrity characters who I think he looks like. One, Lawrence from Office Space, the neighbor, and then two, Ben Stiller at the very end of Dodgeball. Okay. All right, that's. That's a deep cut. Also rude. Yeah. Now you'll take that. Ah, do you. Have you seen Dodgeball lately? Him at the end? That's the.

[Matt Damon]

Okay.

[Dan Patrick]

That's the fattest person I've been compared to this far. Okay. All right. Yeah. Dylan, the neighbor in Office Space, though, You're okay with that? That's fine. Yeah. Okay. First thing that my oldest daughter said to me when I came back from the movie. Did you fall asleep? I go, nope, I took an afternoon nap. My daughters were so impressed. I didn't fall asleep because I remember I went to the movie, the animated movie Cars, and I was doing second shift Sports Center. I mean, I was. I was beat. My wife's like, here, get to know your kids. I said, well, let's go to a movie. I'm out. I'm like, probably slept for an hour and the movie's not much longer than that. Came back. And I said, hey, hey, don't say to your mom, I fell asleep. And my youngest, who can't help herself, walks in and says, we're not supposed to tell you that dad fell asleep in the movie. And I look at her and I go, this is what I have to look forward to the rest of my life. And she's the one who ratted me out when we went to Hooters, when my wife turned off cable, get the kids ready for school, and I said, I gotta watch college football. And I took him to Hooters, all four of them. I said, look, hey, this is our secret. We shouldn't have secrets for mom, right? I go, well, this one is a fun secret. Walked in the door. The little one goes, we're not supposed to tell you we went to Hooters. I could. Damn you, narc. Yes, Marvin, being a married father is like being the oldest child. Like, we can't tell mom.

[Matt Damon]

Whatever you do, we cannot tell her.

[Dan Patrick]

We don't need any trouble. Let's take a break. We don't want to keep big time movie star Matt Damon waiting. He'll join us coming up next. Here. Dan Patrick Show Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart radio app. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can be a part of it. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Rad. Hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell and catch all the videos from your favorite shows. Two pros and a cup of Joe. Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, stu Gotz Co. Lie, Covino and Rich, the Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, the Jason Smith show with Mike Harmon and the Ben Maller show. Fox sports radio on YouTube. Subscribe.

[Matt Damon]

Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

[Dan Patrick]

The Declaration, which is full of these

[Matt Damon]

beautifully rendered, you know, sentences and paragraphs

[Dan Patrick]

about enlightenment ideals, does also have this darker history to it. Why is it important for the darker part of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution? Why is it important that Americans know about it? Well, if we don't understand the full context in which our nation was founded,

[Matt Damon]

we won't understand the full context in

[Dan Patrick]

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[Matt Damon]

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[Matt Damon]

Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

Hey, guys, Paul Verzi here and I want to talk to you about Paul's

[Matt Damon]

best podcast, Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network and I Heart Radio. I sit down each week with a special guest and we discuss the absolute best of things Davidson. It's that and then there's everything else. He would just shout one line and it would murder.

[Dan Patrick]

Marie, lunch.

[Matt Damon]

Let's talk about the best moments that

[Dan Patrick]

we had on the road. I would love a cocktail. Dude.

[Matt Damon]

Joker, get last row, middle seat on

[Dan Patrick]

a Southwest Airlines flight. Joe, how was your flight? It was great.

[Matt Damon]

The guy in Penn State, we were

[Dan Patrick]

on the field and the player thought Joe was his former coach and he

[Matt Damon]

hugged him, and he hugged him and

[Dan Patrick]

Joe just went with it. The guy goes, what are you doing here, coach?

[Matt Damon]

And Joe just goes.

[Dan Patrick]

And you walk in and it is bananas. I mean, it's a feast for the eyes. And I was like, it's like. It's not my thing either, but we're here.

[Matt Damon]

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[Matt Damon]

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[Matt Damon]

Yeah, it's a lot. It's, it's, it's overwhelming. That's what one of the things Chris wanted to do. That's one of the reasons he loves Imax is he, you know, and it's the Odyssey, it's this big journey and he wanted to just chuck the audience in there and, and have him go with us. And so you really feel that, but I think you kind of feel it in any format. It's a lot of movie, you know.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, before we get started, usually at the end of every interview I have with you, you go, wait a minute. And you want to ask me a sports question. So if you, if you have one that you would. Or a topic, you let me know.

[Matt Damon]

I do, I do. What do you make of the Red Sox?

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, they did lose last night, but.

[Matt Damon]

I know, I know, but, but 15. I mean, what the hell? What is that?

[Dan Patrick]

And no star.

[Matt Damon]

Wait, I just saw it. But I, you know, I remember the Morgan Miracle in 86 and like the, you know, or. Yeah, when we went on that run, we were, we weren't good and we went on a run and we ended up going to the posting. But it's amazing to me, this Sport is like 120 years old and 15 games is. You think all those teams that won 100 games and you think of the Dodgers, you know, these guys now, it's just amazing that that is the, the ceiling.

[Dan Patrick]

It seems like, well, you know, back when you were having these runs, you had starting pitchers who act actually, you know, went seven, eight, nine, you know, complete games.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Now, you know, you just don't know when you're going to five, six, seven pitchers. Somebody has a bad night, there's your ball game. But, you know, the Red Sox don't have star power, this team.

[Matt Damon]

No, I know. That's what's so incredible at this. It just seems so aberrant and wonderful for us. But, but yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's. I don't know what to make of it. It's great.

[Dan Patrick]

They're like an independent film.

[Matt Damon]

They're, they're obsession, basically.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. Yeah. If I said Invictus or this or Born, you could keep the body out of those three. Which one are you keeping?

[Matt Damon]

Oh, this one? Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Are you going to keep this one?

[Matt Damon]

I mean, as much as I can, you know, it's kind of, it's kind of a full time job and, and I don't want to be that focused on my life. I have other things that I love to do and, and, and, and a life to live. But, but in terms of just the health and. Because my big fear when I kind of embarked on this was, was just getting an injury like a dumb kind of a guy our age injury. Right. Like throw your back out or you know, any, you know, any of those things that can happen to us just by getting out of bed. And I knew it was going to be such a physical movie. Just that just the logistics of getting to some of these locations required you to be healthy enough to make it. And so I didn't want to slow us down. And so that part of like just making sure I was moving every day and feeling like I got through something that was this arduous was great. At our age to feel like, you know, I can live an adventurous life and live it fully. That's what I'd love to keep doing.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. How do you not get injured on a movie set like that, man?

[Matt Damon]

You know, it was a lot of. There was a walking down that mountain every night. I didn't, the going up was fine. It actually wasn't a, it was actually a nice way to start the day. A lot of us really liked it. But the, but the coming down, it's, you know, for anybody who hikes, it's, it's always harder coming down. And that I, I felt a tweak in my left knee like a weekend and I was really, really mindful, you know, because if you, you know, there you really are, you got no option but to shut the movie down. If you can't, you know, there's no helicopter that can bring you down because it's nighttime, they can't fly. And there's no way to get down but to walk. And so, and so that, that was a concern for me. But, but, but you know, I think it was just the right amount of time. You know, however many times I walked down that thing, you know, I. I was at the threshold of a. Probably, you know, one of those little nagging injuries.

[Dan Patrick]

Tom Cruise wouldn't have had a problem.

[Matt Damon]

He doesn't have a problem with anything.

[Dan Patrick]

He would have been repelling down the mountain.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah. He would have figured something out. He would have base jumped.

[Dan Patrick]

Your next role. You already got it lined up? Yes. Okay. Do you purposely steer clear of physicality?

[Matt Damon]

Oh, no, no, no, no. I don't pick roles that way. I just kind of pick based on what I think is going to be a good movie.

[Dan Patrick]

And what are you gonna. Are you in a.

[Matt Damon]

It's a movie. It's a movie with the Daniels. I think it's probably. I think they've kept the script under wraps, but the guys who did everything everywhere, all at once and it's. And it's. The way they pitched it to me was. It's the Breakfast Club meets Inception meets an anime film, meets an episode of the John Oliver show that didn't get aired. So if you liked everything everywhere, all at once and all the wildness and all the heart and think you'll. I think you'll really like this one, too. It's.

[Dan Patrick]

It's.

[Matt Damon]

It's a. It's a really special project.

[Dan Patrick]

When do you realize the magnitude of what Christopher Nolan is trying to put it? I mean, I came away going, it was an ex. Like, that was cinematic genius. Yeah. You know, when I first watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, I kind of came away going, how did they do that? And I don't know how much CGI was in there. Didn't feel like that. Yeah, it didn't feel like that. But you go home to your wife and say, this is far greater than anything I could ever conceive.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah. But, yeah, it's the most ambitious thing I've ever been a part of. I knew the second he said he was doing this and this is, you know, what we were all going to go do. And then in pre production, looking at the plants, because the way he works, he does everything practically, you know, it's all going to be in camera. If it's humanly possible to be done in camera, it's going to be done in camera. Even though, you know, the whirlpool, you know, there were. He had jet skis riding in circles to create the. To create what the water looks like. So that this. The little CGI is built off of that, you know, so he's doing Every single thing he can in camera. And just knowing, having done so many movies, knowing that what that would require, how many thousands of people would have to, you know, and then to shoot it on imax, it's just a whole other layer of difficulty. And, you know, for every department, you know, the. It was. It was. You know, the film loads, last two and a half minutes, so you can't make it through a whole scene. You have these emotional scenes and the actors have to pause while they reload the camera. You know, the thing is heavy. You know, when it's all put together, it's over 300 pounds. And so you've got your grip and camera team carrying this thing, you know,

[Dan Patrick]

all over the world.

[Matt Damon]

You know, it just was taxing. It was an extra tax on everybody. But the idea that we were the ones who got to do. Felt like every single person on that set felt lucky to be there. And that was such a great. Just energy to be around every day. Nobody had ever tried it. We knew what he was doing was ambitious. We knew that he couldn't do it without all of us. And everybody really felt their contribution every single day. And so that just ended. I mean, we were exhausted, but we were really happy to be the ones who got to do that.

[Dan Patrick]

And talking to Matt Damon, the movie the Odyssey playing in theaters now, I don't know what happened on the mountain with. With the pigs. That was. That was disturbing. And now I. I told my audience when I watched the movie, you know, be a little familiar with the Odyssey and some of the characters, which. I didn't read the book when I was in high school, Matt, but Cliff Notes, I said, don't be afraid to get some Cliff Notes for just some of the, you know, people that they're representing in the movie. But can you explain without giving away too much of what happens on the mountain? Is the actress last name Morgan?

[Matt Damon]

It's Samantha Morton.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, Morton. Oh, my goodness.

[Matt Damon]

She is phenomenal.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, that.

[Matt Damon]

She's just. I've known her for. For 25 years, I guess, or. 20 years. No, 25, I guess. this point, she's. She's amaz. And she just. Absolutely. It's like I've always said, actors, you know, a great actor can be. Can be. Can be great enough for both of you. It was like getting fireman carried by her in that scene. She's just so great. And everything that you see on screen is practical. And Chris. And look, I mean, movies were made that way for, you know, 80 years before CGI came along. And There are a lot of great tricks, and he used every kind of tool in the toolkit. But, yeah, you can talk to friends about who the characters are, even just. Just get a quick primer if you want. But, like, Chris specifically made the movie so that if you have no familiarity with the Odyssey, you can kind of come in cold and it's. And you're still going to get it.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, I didn't know Charlize Theron's character, but I wish I would have washed up on shore and she would have been there feeding me, you know, lotus petals. Well.

[Matt Damon]

Well, that was, you know, the reason, you know, that that place where we are that, you know, is so kind of. It needs to look unwelcoming. And Chris said that to me in the. In the pre production. He said, yeah, we just looked at the Caribbean. But he goes, the minute you see a palm tree and you're on an island with Charlize, you're not gonna leave.

[Dan Patrick]

And it's true.

[Matt Damon]

She said, she's amazing. Like, you know, and. And it would be the kind of, you know, the kind of thing where someone might go, well, maybe I have a family or maybe I don't.

[Dan Patrick]

I was wondering why you wanted to leave so quickly to get off that island. Okay, if I give you your final script, you can pick any director you've worked with who is directing your final movie.

[Matt Damon]

That's an impossible question, because I have been, I think, more fortunate than any actor on the planet. If you.

[Dan Patrick]

If.

[Matt Damon]

If I look at the list of the people that I've been able to work with, it's embarrassingly wonderful, and they've all been great. They're partnerships to some degree in which you, the actor, are the junior partner. If you're respecting the way this medium works. I mean, it's a director's medium, but you can be a really helpful partner. And these have been the most kind of rewarding, fulfilling partnerships, creative partnerships I ever could have asked for. How do you choose between, you know, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola and the Coen brothers and my best friend in the world, Ben, you know, like, it's just an impossible. You know, I'd be, you know, so happy just to. Just to repeat, you know, just to get a chance to work with Alexander Payne again or Paul Greengrass, you know, Clint. All these people that I've. That I've had a chance to work with, that I've learned so much from, and I've had. I have not had a bad experience making a movie. You know, I do hear stories sometimes, and people not coming out of their trailers or whatever. That's. I. I have never had anything like that. I've never seen anything like that. It's just been, you know, the joy of my life, and I really have not worked a day in my life.

[Dan Patrick]

You. Every time you're on, we bring up Bourne Identity, we bring up Jason Bourne. It's happening, right?

[Matt Damon]

Well, we're trying. You know, Edward Berger is this phenomenal director, and he really wants to do it. And he's. And. And so I've been talking to him, and. And he just sent me kind of the first act. It looks really good.

[Dan Patrick]

And.

[Matt Damon]

And I'm So. I'm very hopeful that it happened. He's like me. He says, you know, unless it can kind of fit with, you know, that. That those first three we did, you know, unless it can be of that caliber with, you know, it's like, don't. Don't poke the bear. But. But if we really feel like we got a shot at doing something great, I'm all in.

[Dan Patrick]

I love the.

[Matt Damon]

I love that character. It's been an incredible part of my life. I'd love to do it again.

[Dan Patrick]

Is there a sequel with Good Will Hunting?

[Matt Damon]

I don't think so. I don't think so. I mean, you know, it ended with this kind of. I like the way it ended, where he's going off into this world of possibility. And to do a sequel would kind of. I think it would narrow what it could be in the minds of the audience who like the movie, you know?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, that's.

[Matt Damon]

That's kind of how I think of it.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I was fine. I'm fine with that answer. Not that I have any say in it, but I didn't know if you become a professor and, you know, something like that, but he becomes a tech bro. Yes. Yes. Yeah, I like that. And the answer would have been, you can have one person do your movie. It would have been Ben. Then you're covered.

[Matt Damon]

I mean. I mean. I mean, there's. That's. That's who I. Look, we just started this company together four years ago. Like, our whole goal is to work together as much as we can, you know. You know, in whatever capacity we can. We. You know, we kind of acknowledged once we got into our 50s, like, wait a minute. Our dreams came true. Like, we're insane if we don't, you know, if we don't make the most of this together. This is what we talked about when

[Dan Patrick]

we were kids, okay? Before we let Matt go, let's play the Matt Damon bench press. One rep Max Fritzi. I'm gonna say 285. All right, now I've seen the movie, so I'll go last. This Dylan. A nice 225. 225. A lot for me. He laughs at that. Marvin. 315. All right, Paulie.

[Matt Damon]

One rep on the bench. 255.

[Dan Patrick]

I'm gonna do one rep. 275.

[Matt Damon]

So the best I ever did. I don't lift heavy anymore, guys. I hate to break it to you, it's all circuit training now, but when I was doing porn when I was 45, I did one for 315.

[Dan Patrick]

Marvin.

[Matt Damon]

Okay, thank you, Marvin.

[Dan Patrick]

Come on. I always believed.

[Matt Damon]

Now I really don't know. Now I have no idea. I don't think it'd be very good now.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, so you just look strong. You may not be strong.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah, I mean, I think I just. Once I got into my 50s, I think probably the Bourne movie was the last time I really went heavy. Just because it's just. Just on my joints and everything. I just. I'd rather. Yeah. And I'm much. And I'm much leaner than I was then too. So I'm smaller.

[Dan Patrick]

So.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah, I don't. I. Yeah. 315. No way. Unless I. Unless I had to kind of bulk up to do like an invictus thing again. Yeah. I don't. I don't see getting back there at my age.

[Dan Patrick]

Congrats. There's so many great acting roles. John Leguizama, like, they're unbelievable. Yeah.

[Matt Damon]

There's so many. I was such an embarrassment of riches for me. I'd go to work every day and I'd be paired up with. With just one amazing actor after another. Everyone just absolutely killed it in this movie. It was so fun for me to play opposite, you know, Himesh Patel, who's on the boat with me. And I mean, Annie and Tom, I mean, he's just top to bottom. It was. It was just thrilling.

[Dan Patrick]

They killed it, but you killed it too. You killed a lot of people in there.

[Matt Damon]

I did. Don't give it away. No spoilers. It's a 3,000 year old story.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, Matt. Great to talk to you. Congrats.

[Matt Damon]

All right, thanks, Dan. Great seeing you.

[Dan Patrick]

That's Matt Damon, big time actor. And go see it in an IMAX theater. The Odyssey and I. And I meant when I said they should have seat belts because you get rocked around a little bit. It's loud. It's loud, but you, you can't take your eyes off of it. Once again, I think having a little bit of background on some of like calypso cyclops, I don't want to give anything away with cyclops. Cyclops was fascinating, but yeah, just to see what they did, how they did it, the number of extras, I can't imagine you're doing your scene and you got 1200 people behind you and then you don't want to screw up because 1200 people have to go. All right, let's reset. And it's not, not much CGI in there. All right, how about we take a break? We'll come back with your phone calls. Update our poll results after this. Foreign Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app. Stat of the DAY is always brought to you by Panini America. Everybody's looking to save some money. How about you go to libertymutual.com and get a quote and you're going to be able to bundle car and home insurance. Save yourself some money. LibertyMutual.com or your local independent agent. Speaking of celebrities and movie stars, and my thanks to Matt Damon for giving me extra time. Normally when they do these PR moves where they're promoting something, you get six minutes, maybe seven, eight. It felt like he gave us a full segment there and I appreciate that. But you start to think about celebrity couples. Taylor Swift, Travis Kelsey, they topped the list. Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, that was a big one. Tom Brady and Giselle. Olivia Dunn, Paul Skeens, Justin Herbert, Madison Beer, Josh Allen and Haley Steinfeld. The actress Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones, Dustin Johnson, Paulina Gretzky, Russell Wilson Jr. III and Sierra. Justin Verlander, Kate Upton, swimsuit model Dwayne Wade, Gabriel Union, Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries, maybe Kim Kardashian. Well, we're talking about. No, these aren't all married, I would think. Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian. That's a big one. Asia Wilson, Bam Adebayo, Klay Thompson, Megan Thee style. You know, that didn't end well. Tony Parker, Eva Longoria. That didn't end well. I think she got her number, his number eight tattooed on her body. I'm not sure where. Dennis Rodman, Carmen Electra, David Beckham and. And Victoria posh, a rod JLo tiger, Lindsey Vaughn, Tiger. Vanessa Trump, Aaron Rodgers, Olivia Munn, Danica Patrick Noma and Mia Ham, Tony Romo, Jessica Simpson, Derek Jeter and everybody in Hollywood. And. And Bill Belichick and. And Jordan Hudson. Just some celebrity couples. Big time celebrity couples there. Yes, Marvin, the power of the Kardashians. Is Lamar Odom, good NBA player, but everybody on earth knew who he was after he married Khloe Kardashian. Yeah, same thing with Chris Humphries. Yeah. I'm not sure if the coach of

[Matt Damon]

the Nets knew Chris Humphries was.

[Dan Patrick]

How many days were they married for? I'm gonna say 71. 71. I'll go 72. Over. Under 71 and a half. Yes, Paulie, like Tom Brady was super

[Matt Damon]

famous in America when he starts dating Giselle. Now an NFL player becomes worldwide because NFL is not big overseas.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, yeah. I'm sure we left out a couple. Yeah. Dylan. Yeah, I didn't know this one. Namdi Asima and Kerry Washington. Yeah, yeah. Namdi Asamoa, defensive back Kerry Washington. What was the show she was in? Scandal. Yeah, I never saw that, but I'm sure she was great. Yes, Dylan, there's also Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles. Yeah, he's not really famous, but she's really famous. I saw there was an article, not that long. She had like a health scare or something, and the headline was Jonathan Owens wife, Blank, blank, blank. And people freaked out. Okay. Is he still a Packer? Is he with Green Bay? I think he's a bear. Oh, is he a bear, huh? Backup. Yes. Marvin, Bloop for you. Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian were married for 72 days. Yeah, well, I keep up with the Kardashians, Marvin. Just letting you know.

[Matt Damon]

Yeah, Paul, I remember in the late 80s, I think, when Wayne Gretzky started dating Janet Jones, I was like, there's nothing this guy can't do.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. What was the Flamingo Kid? Oh, with Matt Dillon. That. Whoa. That's. Yeah, that. That. Janet. Janet Jones better peak. Mike in Iowa. Hi, Mike. What do you have for me today? Thank you, dp. I appreciate that. It's good to talk to you. First time, long time. Six feet. A super soft 250 soft. So you're talking about the W. I can't believe the WNBA made me call you for the first time. But it did wait till the fall for football season, I guess. Anyway, so how about this idea? Three point contest? You signed a contract with the league? Wnba? NBA. I don't know how. Marvin, how many people shoot in the three point contest? Is it a set number? Six. Six. So you got the top six, three point percentage in the league, minimum shot attempts.

[Matt Damon]

You're in.

[Dan Patrick]

You don't get to argue about it. You get a million dollars, it's going to be more watched. It's better for the fans. What do you think at this stage? If you can give me the best shooters. That's all I want to say. And I'm trying to get more information on what exactly has happened with Sabrina Ionescu. Did she get an invite? Was it an official. She used the word official invite. That stood out. Did Caitlin Clark get an invitation and decline it? So we're working on that as we speak. Todd and Pauliar, we'll try to give you that information coming up in the final hour. Mike in Houston. Hi, Mike. What do you have for me? Good morning, Dan. Great interview with Matt Damon. Thank you. I got one quick thing to ask you. ESPN let a lot of good people walk out that door. They just fired them. But do they own Disney and abc? Do they own. It's the other way around. Disney owns everything. Okay, one quick note. Did you know ABC morning on Saturdays and during the week, they let a lot of people go on the news broadcast, too. I don't follow it. I follow my world. And people who do this for a living or people who are, you know, on air or behind the scenes. But no, I, I didn't know that. It happens. All of these companies, broadcast companies, they downsize and it's usually every couple of years. And then I was told on Sunday there'd be a bloodbath on Tuesday and it turned out to be that at espn, two hours in the books. One more to go to be busy. We got Chris Sims trying to defend his quarterback rankings of all time of quarterbacks in their prime. Heather Dinage, the great college football reporter for the Mothership, she'll join us as well. Lane Kiffin getting ready for SEC media days. What could go wrong? Two hours in the books. Who's going in the confessional? Dylan, go in there. All righty. And repent. Final hour in this Thursday after this. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.