Matthew McConaughey hasn’t always found his prospects in Hollywood to be good, good, good.
The Academy Award winner, 54, revealed he “left Hollywood” for two years as he considered leaving the industry altogether, while speaking to Glen Powell for Interview magazine.
“I usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag,” he said. “When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give them, and those were some solid hits for me.
‘But I wanted to try other things. Of course I didn’t understand it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years,” McConaughey explained.
He recalled confiding in his wife Camila Alves during the “scary” time as he considered a career change.
Matthew McConaughey revealed he ‘left Hollywood’ for two years as he considered leaving the industry entirely
“I usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag,” he said. “When I had my romantic comedy years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give them, and those were some solid hits for me”
‘Dude, it was scary. I had long conversations with my wife about the need to find a new calling. “I think I’m going to teach high school. I think I’m going to study to be a conductor. I think I’m going to be a wildlife guide,” McConaughey went down the list.
“I honestly thought, ‘I got out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane,'” he explained. “The lane that Hollywood said I should stay in, and Hollywood told me, ‘Well, fuck you, buddy.’ You should have stayed in your lane. Later”.’
McConaughey continued, “It was terrifying.” The days are long: the feeling of insignificance. But I decided that was what I had to do, so I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and abandon 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.’
The Dallas Buyers Club actor explained that with the success that came to Hollywood a new set of anxieties arose.
‘For me, go back to Time to kill“After I had big success for the first time in a major studio movie and became famous, I remembered that on the Thursday before that movie came out, there were 100 scripts that I would have done, and 99 of them I couldn’t book,” said. McConaughey. “Over that weekend, 99 noes turned into 99 yeses.”
He added: “I thought, ‘What? Three days ago I would have done any of these! And now you’re asking me which one I want to do?’ It was a huge shock. I put on a backpack and went to Peru for three weeks just so I could hear myself think.’
McConaughey joined the Twisters star on the need to “be picky” about the roles they play, so as not to get pigeonholed.
“I’ve had similar streaks where I said no to things, where I thought, ‘Am I being too safe or am I fiercely pursuing what I want?'” he said.
“Because sometimes you can get paralyzed by the no’s,” McConaughey added. “I’ve had many moments in my career where I think, ‘I don’t know what I want to do, I just know I don’t want to do that.'”
‘But I wanted to try other things. Of course I didn’t understand it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years,” McConaughey explained.
He recalled confiding in his wife Camila Alves during the “scary” time as he considered a career change: “I had long conversations with my wife about the need to find a new vocation.”
The Dazed and Confused star, 54, moved to Texas in 2014 with Alves, 41, and their sons Levi, 15, Livingston, 11, and daughter Vida, 14.
The Dazed and Confused star moved to Texas in 2014 with Alves, 41, and sons Levi, 15, Livingston, 11, and daughter Vida, 14.
His possible career moves during his time away from Hollywood included a run for Texas governor that almost happened.
McConaughey has also served as a “visiting instructor” at his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, where he is currently on the faculty of the Radio, Television and Film department and is the school’s self-proclaimed “minister of culture.”
