Actor Matthew McConaughey was doing rom-coms at the height of his career when he decided to move out of Hollywood. The Oscar winner has been in his home state, Texas, with his wife Camila Alves and children Levi, Livingston and Vida, for over a decade. On Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast, he revealed why he made that decision. (Also Read: Matthew McConaughey meets Sachin Tendulkar, cricket legend quips about ‘interstellar conversation with true detective’)
Matthew McConaughey on staying ‘true to himself’
Matthew was asked why ‘staying true to himself’ has allowed his career to gain longevity, to which he replied that the ‘devil’s in the infinite yeses, not the nos’. He also explained why he felt that after success, the no becomes more important than the yes.
Matthew lived with Camila in Malibu, California, before moving to Austin. In the early 2000s, the actor starred in numerous successful rom-coms like How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days, The Wedding Planner, Failure to Launch and Fool’s Gold. He said he was paid well, but he wanted more than that for his career.
He said, “That was my lane, and I liked that lane. That lane paid well and it was working. But the lane was… I was so strong in that lane that anything outside of that lane, dramas and stuff that I wanted to do, were like, no, no, no, no, no McConaughey. Hollywood said no, no, no, no, you should stay there, stay there.”
Then the actor moved to Texas and told Camila he would only go back if he was offered roles he ‘wanted to do’. His wife was pregnant with their first child, and he realised that ‘making chimes and working in the garden wasn’t cutting it’.
Matthew even turned down a $15 million role at one point because it wasn’t ‘enticing’ like another script he said yes to. “I think that was the one that was probably what was seen as the most rebellious move in Hollywood by me, because it really sent the signal, he ain’t f*****g bluffing. I think that’s what made Hollywood go, you know what? He’s now a new novel idea. He’s a new bright idea.”
Matthew’s career
But it looks like the move paid off because Matthew later signed Dallas Buyers Club, the role that brought him an Oscar and a $200,000 salary. He has since starred in blockbusters like Interstellar, The Wolf of Wall Street and Mud. He recently played a cameo as Cowboypool in Deadpool & Wolverine and will soon star in The Rivals of Amziah King and The Lost Bus.