According to insiders, Hollywood perks like fancy dressing rooms and first-class transportation were also no-nos for some of the film's cast. What's more, conditions on set were so brutal that Matt Damon – who played Odysseus on his roller-coaster trip home from the Trojan War – admitted: "It was the hardest movie I've ever done." Damon appeared to nearly drown in one scene and other scenes were filmed on a real Viking longship on the Mediterranean Sea – with seasick actors filmed vomiting over the side. Another physically demanding scene was shot during Iceland's "white nights" period of 24/7 daylight.