Matt Damon said she has 'the greatest arms' he's ever seen. Meet his Canadian stunt double in 'The Odyssey'

“I never thought my biceps were going to be the thing that went viral,” Dalton said with a laugh over a Zoom call as she gears up for her next project in New Zealand.

“The Odyssey” continues its record-breaking box office run, surpassing $300 million globally and fuelling renewed interest in Homer’s ancient Greek epic.

In the film, Dalton doubles Damon during the battle with the Laestrygonians, a race of heavily armoured cannibalistic giants who ambush Odysseus and his crew. At 4-foot-5, Dalton’s frame helped Nolan create the illusion that the film’s seven-foot actors appeared even larger on screen.

Audiences may not have realized they were watching Dalton — or that she also appears on one of the film’s main theatrical posters — but landing the role was years in the making.

She landed her first feature in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” performing two lead motion-capture roles before returning to the franchise, where she played Cornelius.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a performer and tell stories,” she said.

That experience, paired with the physique she’d spent years building, helped secure her role in “The Odyssey.”

Although many now know her for doubling Damon, Dalton’s path into film began in competitive dance, where she developed an early fascination with movement, athleticism and performance.

For Dalton, fitness is a daily commitment. She trains year-round so she’s ready when the next opportunity comes along combining weightlifting, conditioning, Muay Thai, boxing, calisthenics and many pull-ups.

Ahead of filming “The Odyssey,” she completed a bulk before cutting and after learning she landed the role, she “upped the stakes,” by placing an even greater emphasis on upper-body strength. Rather than working with a personal trainer, Dalton develops her own training program.

“Any role I get, I want to show up 200 per cent ready and I take it very seriously, and it’s also fun for me,” she said.

Still, Dalton says the physical preparation is only half of the job.

Before stepping onto set, she studies the character and the actor she’ll be doubling, learning their movements, posture and mannerisms so audiences can’t tell where one performance ends and the other begins. The work requires days of rehearsals with the actor, stunt coordinator and the wider stunt team, while more complex sequences involve stunt riggers responsible for safely executing wire work and other technical elements.

“We’re hired because we can do the job in a safe way. And so it comes down to skill set and who’s right for the job. And I think that’s how it should always be versus, you know, gender or anything like that,” she said.

That philosophy is also why Dalton was surprised to find herself in the spotlight.

“The whole point of being a stunt double is you’re not supposed to know there’s a stunt double,” she said, adding that Damon’s public praise “was very generous of him to give.”

Working alongside the Oscar-winning actor was the highlight of her experience on set.

“He’s such an awesome person and so down-to-earth and lovely and humble,” she said.

Beyond adding a Christopher Nolan credit to her resume, the role became a testament to the strength Dalton has spent years building.

“It was just so cool to be doing a role that I never even thought I would have on my resume, but here it is,” she said. “I got to just be me, be a strong female and have that celebrated.”

After encountering setbacks early in her career, Dalton said persistence, discipline and a genuine love for the craft will eventually speak for themselves. She hopes her experience shows other Canadian performers — particularly women — that there are many ways to carve out their own path in the industry.

“There are so many amazing Canadian performers who have made it in Hollywood,” she said, “And if I can be one of those, and also maybe help open doors for my fellow Canadians, that would just mean the world to me.”