All posts tagged: Damons

I grew up at Glendale tiki steakhouse Damon’s, so I named my son after it

I grew up at Glendale tiki steakhouse Damon’s, so I named my son after it

Published by Sam Flores

Damon’s opened in Glendale on a stretch of Central Avenue (a few blocks from the then-new, now-gone Sears Roebuck) in 1937. My family has been going to the tiki-themed steakhouse ever since. My great-grandparents Norma and Robert Blair, affectionately called G.G. and Papa, got engaged at the restaurant in 1946, where they continued to celebrate milestone anniversaries throughout their lives. Damon’s has been a constant, even after it moved to Brand Avenue in 1980. I’ve spent countless date nights, birthdays and New Year’s Eves in its big green booths under the soft tiki lighting. If I went through my camera roll right now, I would easily find a hundred photos of me posing next to a tropical Chi Chi cocktail or celebratory brownie sundae. Damon’s cocktails include its Mai Tai, Blue Hawaii, variations of the Chi Chi with creamy coconut and macadamia nut. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times) In a city constantly reinventing itself, it is a privilege to have a place that has lasted long enough to become a family tradition. To have …

Matt Damon’s stuntwoman Devyn Dalton shares the exact upper-body workout she used to build “the greatest arms” in Hollywood for The Odyssey

Matt Damon’s stuntwoman Devyn Dalton shares the exact upper-body workout she used to build “the greatest arms” in Hollywood for The Odyssey

Published by Jenni Sidey

Forget The Odyssey’s extensive A-list cast and spellbinding special effects. The breakout star of Christopher Nolan’s epic blockbuster has undoubtedly been Matt Damon’s 4’ 6” tall stunt double Devyn Dalton. The 35-year-old’s impressively muscular physique has made headlines ever since Damon singled her out for having “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen”. Latest Videos FromFit&Well “Apparently my arms have their own career now,” she tells Fit&Well, exclusively sharing the workout she used to prepare for the role. So what does she credit for her success—and leading man-worthy biceps and triceps? You may like “There really isn’t one secret exercise,” she admits. “They’re the result of years of consistent training and doing a lot of different things. I strength train, but I also do calisthenics, boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and stunt work, so my upper body is constantly being challenged in different ways.” Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. Her mix of strength and conditioning, she explains, has allowed her to build muscle while maintaining the athleticism, …

Matt Damon’s ‘Odyssey’ Workout Is ‘Very Doable,’ According to His Trainer

Matt Damon’s ‘Odyssey’ Workout Is ‘Very Doable,’ According to His Trainer

Published by Jenni Sidey

On the upper-body days, they’d hit a mix of push and pull exercises, covering chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps in each session. They also alternated between horizontal and vertical movements from one workout to the next, allowing them to work the muscles along different planes of motion. “We’d do a flat dumbbell bench press, and then the next upper-body day we’d do it at an incline,” Stump recalls. “Or if we did a chest-supported row one day, we’d do pull-ups the next time.” Sessions would begin with a main lift, like a bench press or row, followed by accessory work, such as cable flies or landmine presses, to isolate the smaller (albeit highly photogenic) muscles that would end up getting the most screen time in the film. Stump had Damon doing three or four sets per exercise across the board, with 8 to 10 reps for the main lifts and 12 to 15 for the subsequent accessory work. “The general idea was to do higher volume,” Stump says. “Lots of sets, versus really intense …

Matt Damon’s 4-foot-5 Odyssey stunt double reveals how she trained for taxing role

Matt Damon’s 4-foot-5 Odyssey stunt double reveals how she trained for taxing role

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Stunt performer Devyn Dalton has offered insight into her acclaimed performance doubling for Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The 34-year-old’s involvement in the film was recently praised by Damon, who described Dalton as having “the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.” The 4-foot-5-inch actor faces off against 7-foot-tall stunt performers playing giants in one of the film’s most memorable sequences. The scene also features on a promotional poster for the blockbuster retelling of Homer’s epic Greek poem. Speaking to the New York Post, Dalton described the use of “forced perspective” in her scenes as “movie magic.” Dalton has been performing in stunt roles since 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and maintains a strict regime of yoga, weight training, boxing and weapon work because she never knows when she might get asked to join a production. Devyn Dalton …

Charlize Theron admits she couldn’t stop staring at Matt Damon’s body after The Odyssey transformation

Charlize Theron admits she couldn’t stop staring at Matt Damon’s body after The Odyssey transformation

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Charlize Theron is coming clean about ogling Matt Damon’s ripped physique after he transformed to film The Odyssey. Damon, 55, lost more than 20 pounds and underwent intense training to get in shape to play Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic. When an interviewer with Entertainment Tonight pointed out Damon’s muscles at the movie’s world premiere in London, Theron — who plays Greek goddess Calypso in the film — admitted that she was checking him out as well. “I’ve seen him without all of that suit on. He’s incredible. Incredible,” the Oscar-winning actor, 50, gushed to ET. “It’s weird. I’m, like, staring at him weirdly. I’m looking at his ass.” She then joked, “I shouldn’t do that! That’s just wrong,” before doubling …

Matt Damon’s Brett Kavanaugh reveals how Trump will serve a third term in boozy SNL cold open

Matt Damon’s Brett Kavanaugh reveals how Trump will serve a third term in boozy SNL cold open

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Matt Damon returned to Saturday Night Live where he reprised the part of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, revealing in the cold open sketch that President Trump will serve a third term. Damon joined Colin Jost’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Aziz Ansari’s FBI Director Kash Patel in a Washington, DC bar where the three bonded over drinks. “It’s nice to have my sneaky bar here where I’m not going to run into anyone from work, because none of Trump’s people like drinking as much as I do,” Jost’s Hegseth says just as Damon’s Kavanaugh busted through the bar crowd, still wearing his justice robe. The judge bangs his gavel on the bar and says: “Order! I find in favor of six Bud Lights and three shots of Jamo!” The barman, played by Kenan Thompson replies: “Yep, a 6-3 decision coming …

Netflix hits back at Matt Damon’s claim it simplifies plots for second-screen viewing

Netflix hits back at Matt Damon’s claim it simplifies plots for second-screen viewing

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Matt Damon recently accused Netflix of purposefully simplifying plots for viewers who might be watching titles while scrolling on their phones. But the streaming service has denied this is the case. The discussion around “second screen viewing” gained so much heat in Hollywood that it inspired a skit at the Oscars, in which host Conan O’Brien and guest Sterling K Brown performed a script that rewrote classic film Casablanca to reflect this demand. Netflix film chairman Dan Lin said executives in the room laughed the joke off, but insisted: “There’s no such principle.” Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Netflix thriller ‘The Rip’ (Netflix) Speaking at a press event on Wednesday (18 March), Lin added: “If you watch our movies or shows, we don’t repeat our plot, so I don’t know where that came from. We are focused on making great …

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity Signs Netflix Deal

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity Signs Netflix Deal

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity has found a streaming home with Netflix, signing a multi-year streaming first-look deal, production and distribution agreement with the company. Artists Equity, which was also founded by RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale, recently partnered with Netflix on the crime thriller The Rip, starring both Affleck and Damon, which spent three weeks as the No. 1 movie on Netflix’s Top 10 chart, according to the streamer. Netflix is also set to release Affleck’s next directorial feature, Animals, starring Affleck, Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson, which is due out later this year. The news of the Netflix partnership comes after Artists Equity entered into a similar pact with Sony but for theatrical releases. Under that three-year deal, Sony will distribute Artists Equity’s theatrical films globally and will additionally finance the films and handle all ancillaries, with Artists Equity having the option to co-finance certain projects. (Sony, notably, does not have a sister streaming service.) In terms of which projects will end up under the Netflix streaming deal or the Sony theatrical pact, …

Amanda Knox slams Matt Damon’s comments comparing cancel culture to jail time

Amanda Knox slams Matt Damon’s comments comparing cancel culture to jail time

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Amanda Knox has revived her feud with Matt Damon after the actor suggested that, for some people who’ve been canceled and ostracized from the public, jail time would have been preferable. Damon, 58, made the remarks during a recent episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, seemingly implying that jail time is a finite punishment while cancel culture “will follow you to the grave.” “I bet some of those people would have preferred to go to jail for 18 months or whatever and then come out and say, ‘No, but I paid my debt. Like, we’re done. Like, can we be done?’” the Good Will Hunting star said. “Like, the thing about getting kind of excoriated publicly like that, it just never ends.” Resharing the actor’s divisive comments on X, Knox, who was jailed for nearly four years in an Italian prison after …

The Rip Reviews: Ben Affleck And Matt Damon’s Netflix Thriller Gets Lukewarm Response

The Rip Reviews: Ben Affleck And Matt Damon’s Netflix Thriller Gets Lukewarm Response

Published by Sam Flores

Famed real-life buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have got the band back together for a new heist thriller, The Rip. The Netflix movie finds the Good Will Hunting stars at the centre of a risky situation when they’re tasked with counting millions of dollars worth of cash stashed at a house. Naturally, motivations and loyalties are tested and it’s not a straightforward job – or “rip”. Critics have had their say, and on the whole they’re calling it a perfectly serviceable albeit uninspired flick. Here’s a round-up… “It’s a shame the female characters are sidelined, despite the three possessing enough tenacity to easily play the boys at their own game. The Rip is ultimately a game for the boys, though, and taken as a piece of boisterous macho pulp, it’s a propulsive enough four-beers-in watch. A movie to be enjoyed on Friday night and forgotten all about by Saturday morning.” “What were Ben Affleck and Matt Damon thinking with this charmless Netflix dud? […] It’s a character piece that does very little with its …