While in his prime as a rom-com star, Matthew McConaughey almost underwent a “scary” career change.
During a conversation for Interview with Glen Powell, a rising leading man in his own right, McConaughey spoke about his rise to fame. He compared himself to Bruce Springsteen when talking about not becoming a “derivative of McConaughey.”
“I never became cynical about playing my greatest hits,” McConaughey admitted with a laugh. “People go, ‘Alright, alright, alright.’ Then, ‘I suppose you hate that.’ I’m like, ‘No, I know the author.’ [laughs] I try to never rely on it, but also you shouldn’t have a problem playing ‘Born to Run’ if you’re [Bruce] Springsteen.”
Reflecting on his rom-com days, Matthew McConaughey discussed his two-year break that almost led to a career change.
“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 bandwith I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me,” he explained. “But I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course I wasn’t getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years.”
A “scary” experience
Leaving Hollywood behind for a couple of years was “scary.” He discussed changing fields with his wife. One of the career paths he discussed was becoming a high school teacher.
“Dude, it was so scary,” McConaughey reflected. “I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation. ‘I think I’m going to teach high school classes. I think I’m going to study to be a conductor. I think I’m going to go be a wildlife guide.’
“I honestly thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane.’ The lane Hollywood said I should stay in, and Hollywood’s like, ‘Well, f**k you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later,'” he continued.
He added, “The days are long — the sense of insignificance. But I made up my mind that that’s what I needed to do, so I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on. But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”
Glen Powell is facing a similar situation to McConaughey. He recently gained widespread fame for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, and Anyone But You, a rom-com. Coming up, he is set to lead Twisters with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos.
It remains to be seen if Powell will need a two-year break like McConaughey, though.
Who is Matthew McConaughey?
Matthew McConaughey is an Oscar-winning actor who broke into the mainstream with his role in Dazed and Confused. In the early 2000s, McConaughey went on a tear starring in rom-coms. Some of these include The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
For his performance as Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, he won his first Oscar for Best Actor. He has since starred in The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, The Gentlemen, and the first season of True Detective.
Additionally, McConaughey leads the Sing franchise as Buster Moon. His most recent movie credit was Sing 2. Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, and Bono also starred in it.
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