Matthew McConaughey Turns 55: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Oscar Winning Actor
- Matthew McConaughey was born and brought up in Texas where he completed his education.
- He wished to be a lawyer at first but was soon tempted to leave and become an actor.
- His biggest hit has been Interstellar that grossed over $675 million at the box office.
Everything is indeed “Alright, alright, alright,” till we have an actor like Matthew McConaughey in Hollywood. The ruggedly handsome actor does not look 55, but that’s how old he turned today, as fans shower him with all their love and blessings. The actor is one of the most drama-free and entertaining people in the industry, thus he enjoys great popularity.
After doing numerous supporting roles in movies, McConaughey finally got his breakthrough role in 1993. Since then, there has been no stopping him as he continues to give one superhit movie after another. Celebrating this milestone birthday, let’s take a look at some lesser-known facts about Matthew McConaughey.
Matthew McConaughey is from Texas, USA
Born and brought up in the Uvalde region of Lone Star State, Matthew McConaughey personifies that rugged cowboy charm in his demeanor. The actor rose to prominence, thanks to his bright smile and ability to switch between emotions seamlessly. He has an Irish descent on his father’s side and his mother is from New Jersey.
McConaughey attended Longview High School and later moved to Australia for further studies. There, he worked part-time jobs to sustain himself and then moved back to Texas for University. He further revealed that his initial plan was to be a lawyer,
I always thought I was going to be a lawyer. I went to the University of Texas with the idea that I’m going to go become a defense attorney. And it was around sophomore year, coming around exam time. I hadn’t really been sleeping well with the idea of becoming a lawyer — the idea that I needed a couple more years to graduate, then I need to go to law school and need to find a job, that I wouldn’t be able to put an imprint in the world and execute something until I was in my 30s, basically.
However, he didn’t feel that strong of a calling towards that profession and decided to shift his focus to acting which always fascinated him. McConaughey thought of quitting Hollywood down the line but continued to push boundaries and do what he loved.
Voted the Most Handsome Man in School
From being voted the most handsome man in school to being deemed the Sexiest Man Alive in 2015, McConaughey’s looks have gotten him so far in Hollywood. Combine that with his unparalleled skill set and versatile acting and you get one of the best actors of the industry to date. The title goes to a different person each year, McConaughey jokingly said,
People tell me, ‘You’re no longer the Sexiest Man Alive, McConaughey,’ for the last 19 years, every time someone else has been crowned. And I say, ‘Well, I’m still alive. Come on!’ If you’re named it and you’re still alive, you’re still Sexiest Man Alive. That was my joke going forward with everything.
Despite his good looks, McConaughey has persevered in accepting numerous diverse roles that require him to alter his weight, change his looks, and even grow a mustache. He has not shied away from any challenge that comes his way since he is determined to chart a path for himself that aligns with his dreams.
Matthew McConaughey sought diversity in roles
In the early 2000s, McConaughey’s fair share of offers for movies included romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Failure to Launch. However, his desire to diversify his filmography urged him to pursue more varied roles that could put him on the map. Thus, he soon grew tired of working on rom-coms as he mentioned,
I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag. When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me. But I wanted to try some other stuff.
This enabled him to find roles in movies like The Paperboy and Dallas Buyers Club which eventually earned him an Oscar. Had he not found such movies, McConaughey was ready to quit the business and do something else with his time. It was scary for him, he revealed, not finding the type of work he wished to do.
Matthew McConaughey agreed to do Interstellar because of his son
Interstellar is undoubtedly one of the biggest movies in McConaughey’s portfolio. The 2014 movie sees the actor in an astronaut avatar as he navigates the intricacies of space travel and life on another planet. The movie truly shone a light on McConaughey’s range as an actor, especially in the last scene where he breaks down into tears.
The actor has revealed in the past that his son Levi is the reason he chose to say yes to the role. McConaughey revealed,
He was into space and I would explain things in the solar system and how we got on the moon and all these things, and [he’d have] these young, wondrous eyes trying to, you know, work this out in his head. That was the main gut reason why I had to do this film.
The Christopher Nolan directorial grossed $675 million in box office collections, making it one of the most successful movies of McConaughey’s career. He was paid a whopping sum of $18 million for his lead role in the movie.
Spent a Night in Jail
It’s hard to imagine such a standup guy ending up in jail for a night. That’s what happened in 1999 when the police found McConaughey smoking pot in an Austin apartment one night as he played the Bongos. He was arrested and had to be kept in jail overnight. The excessive noise from the bongos made neighbors call the authorities.
Nevertheless, his neighbors described him as friendly and a well-behaved person, barring this one incident that tried to paint McConaughey in a bad light. He had to pay a $1000 fine to get out of jail. In the end, it was all sorted as McConaughey mended the ways with his neighbors and continued being an upright citizen.
