Matthew McConaughey revealed he quit acting for one shocking reason
Matthew McConaughey is one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
But even he reached his breaking point and wanted to throw in the towel.
And Matthew McConaughey revealed he quit acting for one shocking reason.
McConaughey fears typecasting
Actor Matthew McConaughey caught his big break in the 1993 coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused in the role of David Wooderson, a college-age kid who hangs out with high schoolers but dispenses valuable advice and life perspective.
He became known for his iconic “alright, alright, alright” line from the film.
In the early 2000s, McConaughey became a sex symbol and starred in a string of romantic comedies – rom-coms in industry terminology – that brought him fame and fortune and all performed well at the box office.
The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Failure to Launch were all successful rom-coms.
But from 2009 to 2011, McConaughey left acting.
McConaughey recently told actor Glen Powell in a piece for Interview Magazine that he grew tired of the lane Hollywood stuck him in.
“I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag,” McConaughey said.
He added that he enjoyed the rom-coms and that the movies were financially successful, but that he wanted more out of his career.
“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,” McConaughey added.
“But I wanted to try some other stuff,” McConaughey continued.
McConaughey goes on hiatus
McConaughey told Powell that he was so fed up with how Hollywood viewed him that he thought about getting a different job entirely.
“Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation,” McConaughey revealed.
McConaughey said he spoke with his wife Camila Alves and even floated the idea of teaching high school.
“I honestly thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane.’ The lane Hollywood said I should stay in,” McConaughey stated.
McConaughey worried if he didn’t want the roles in the type of movies Hollywood knew he was bankable in, then Hollywood wouldn’t want him.
“And Hollywood’s like, ‘Well, f*** you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later,” McConaughey exclaimed.
McConaughey’s renaissance
McConaughey proved all the doubters wrong.
He returned to acting in 2014 with Dallas Buyer’s Club where he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as a rodeo rider who learns he has AIDS.
McConaughey also starred in the critically acclaimed first season of HBO’s True Detective where he earned a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.
And McConaughey was also featured in Martin Scorsese’s wildly popular bro-film The Wolf of Wall Street.
McConaughey is negotiating to star in Tyler Sheridan’s 2024, which picks up where Yellowstone leaves off when it finishes its final season.
None of this late-career success would have been possible if McConaughey hadn’t been willing to bet on himself and leave his comfort zone by telling Hollywood “No more.”
