<\/p>\n
Devyn Dalton served as Matt Damon\u2019s stunt double on Christopher Nolan\u2019s The Odyssey<\/em>, stepping in for the film\u2019s physically demanding sequences. So when Damon\u2014a man who has been punched, thrown and set on fire by professional stunt performers\u2014went on the Happy Sad Confused<\/em> podcast and said Dalton has \u201cthe greatest arms\u201d he\u2019s ever seen, it wasn\u2019t a throwaway compliment, but a backed professional opinion. (And a statement that turned into a viral moment almost overnight.)<\/p>\n At 4\u20196\u201d, Dalton is a working stuntwoman and actor with more than 90 credits over 15 years, and behind the viral comment is a much bigger story. We caught up with Dalton to talk strength, rest and what it actually takes to stay stunt-ready. Here\u2019s what she had to say.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy training is pretty diverse because my job requires me to be strong, athletic and adaptable rather than just training for aesthetics. I love compound movements and calisthenics\u2014pull-ups, push-ups, dips, presses and rows\u2014and then I\u2019ll add more targeted work for my shoulders, biceps and triceps. I also incorporate unilateral work, functional strength and conditioning.<\/p>\n But honestly, the biggest thing is consistency. I\u2019ve been training for years, and martial arts, dance and stunt work all contribute to my physique too. I like feeling strong and capable, and the physical results are almost a by-product of training for performance. Having Matt give my arms that shout-out was pretty incredible, though. I don\u2019t think my arms have ever received this much attention!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRecovery has become increasingly important to me because I ask a lot of my body. I try to prioritize sleep, mobility, stretching, good nutrition and hydration. Some of my favorite recovery tools are the sauna, cold plunges and red light therapy. I also love fascia and musculoskeletal massage when I have access to it.<\/p>\n With my skin, I actually try to keep things fairly simple. My work can involve long days of heavy makeup, wigs, prosthetics, sweat, dirt and sometimes being outside in pretty extreme conditions, so when I\u2019m not working, I like to give my skin a break. Cleansing everything off properly at the end of the day, using a toner and serum, moisturizing and staying hydrated are probably the biggest things for me.<\/p>\n I also really love natural and organic products. A lot of harsh products can be used on my skin for work, so when I\u2019m off set, I try to strip things back and use gentler, more natural products. My skin and body go through enough for work\u2014I don\u2019t want my recovery routine creating more stress for either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely. One of the interesting things about my career is that I can look completely different depending on the job. For performance capture, I might have tracking markers all over my face and be wearing a mocap suit, so beauty really isn\u2019t the priority\u2014movement and performance are. With stunt work, I need everything to be practical. I\u2019m usually thinking much more about warming up my body and being physically prepared than what I look like.<\/p>\n Voice acting is almost the opposite because nobody sees me at all! I can show up incredibly comfortable and put all of my energy into the character and my voice.<\/p>\n Acting jobs can obviously involve more traditional hair and makeup, but I\u2019ve learned not to be too precious about appearance. My job has had me covered in mud, fake blood, prosthetics, creature makeup and everything in between.<\/p>\n It can be easy to judge yourself when you see yourself on screen, but I really try to embrace it. I\u2019m 35 now, and sometimes I\u2019ll see my smile lines and think, \u2018Gosh, I wish I could lose those.\u2019 But then I think, \u2018You know what? I love my smile way more.\u2019<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to embrace aging as it comes rather than be afraid of it. If you\u2019re lucky, you get to grow old\u2014so why not celebrate it? I want to take care of myself and feel my best, but I don\u2019t want that to come at the expense of appreciating the life that shows up on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere can definitely be a strange contradiction for women in this industry. You\u2019re expected to be physically strong, fearless and capable, but there can still be expectations around femininity and appearance that men don\u2019t necessarily experience in the same way.<\/p>\n For me, I\u2019ve tried not to put myself into either box. I love being strong. I love martial arts, fighting, getting dirty and doing physically demanding work, but I also love being feminine, dressing up and taking care of myself. Those things don\u2019t cancel each other out.<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s part of why I\u2019ve loved seeing the reaction to my physique recently. There was a time when women were often told not to lift too much because they might look \u2018too muscular.\u2019 I love seeing strength celebrated in women. You don\u2019t have to make yourself smaller\u2014physically or otherwise\u2014to be feminine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMovement. It might sound strange because my career is already so physical, but movement is also one of the biggest ways I take care of myself mentally. If I\u2019ve had a long day, I\u2019ll go for a walk, stretch, train, dance, do yoga or get outside. It doesn\u2019t always have to be an intense workout.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve learned over the years that being \u2018stunt-ready\u2019 isn\u2019t just about being strong. It\u2019s about keeping your body mobile, your mind clear and knowing when you need recovery instead of another hard training session.<\/p>\n And sleep is a big one. It\u2019s probably the least glamorous beauty secret in the world, but when I\u2019m sleeping well, hydrating, eating well and moving my body, everything is better\u2014my skin, my energy, my training and my performance.<\/p>\n I\u2019m totally guilty of staying up late sometimes for absolutely no reason! But it\u2019s something I actively work on, especially when I\u2019m filming. I really try to get my eight hours because with the physical demands of my job, sleep isn\u2019t just about looking rested\u2014it\u2019s when my body actually gets the chance to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Devyn Dalton served as Matt Damon\u2019s stunt double on Chr […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2722"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Matt Damon credited you with \u2018the greatest arms\u2019 he\u2019s ever seen. What does your strength-training actually look like to build and maintain that kind of physique?<\/h2>\n
You train across martial arts, fight choreography, dance and strength work. How does your recovery and skin-care routine hold up against that level of physical wear?<\/h2>\n
Performance capture, stunt work and voice acting all ask something different of your body and face. Does your beauty or grooming routine change depending on which discipline you\u2019re working in that day?<\/h2>\n
Being a woman in a male-dominated stunt industry, have you felt pressure around appearance or \u2018toughness\u2019 that\u2019s different from what your male counterparts face, and how have you navigated that?<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s one \u2018must\u2019 in your self-care that keeps you camera- and stunt-ready?<\/h2>\n