20 Things You Didn’t Know about Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey is one of the best known actors of his generation. He is a very diverse actor that has starred in a wide range of movies from different genres. He is instantly recognizable in all the movies that he stars in but here are twenty facts that you may not know about him.
1. His Father Was In The Oil Business
Matthew is the first person in his family to have a career in acting. His father was in the oil business and this is also the path that his brother has chosen. His father was a very successful businessman and the family were fairly wealthy while he was growing up. His parents divorced twice and remarried three times. His father died before he started his acting career and so never saw any of his films.
2. He Was Named Most Handsome Student In High School
He was voted most handsome student at the high school he attended in Texas. He has not lost these good looks as he has gotten older and is still considered to be one of the best looking actors in Hollywood. Despite the fact that he always looks good he is reported to not use deodorant. He also does not wear cologne and so there must be times when he looks much better than he smells.
3. He Had Plans To Go To Law School
When he was growing up his ambition was always to be a lawyer. When he was younger he used to debate legal matters with his family. When he applied to the University of Texas in Austin he originally intended to study law before changing to film production at the last minute. In his career he has played lawyers in some of his best known films including A Time To Kill. It was his performance as Jake Brigance in this movie that really brought him to the attention of film fans everywhere.
4. Dazed And Confused Was His First Movie
He had acted in commercials in the early part of his career but his first big break came in the movie Dazed And Confused. He played the role of David Wooderson, a man in his twenties who never really grew up and still likes to party with high school students. This movie was very well received and it was the first of a number of movies that he would star in during the early 90s. The film also had a number of other actors that would go on to become household names such as Ben Affleck and Milla Jovovich.
5. He Used To Date Sandra Bullock
He met Sandra Bullock on the set of A Time To Kill and the couple started dating. They were together for two years before splitting up. The split was amicable with Matthew being quoted at the time as saying that they both still loved each other but it was just the wrong time. They have not starred in a film together since they split but have both been in attendance at the same events and they always seem to get on well.
6. He Was Considered For The Role Of Jack Dawson In Titanic
He was one of the first choices to play the role of Jack Dawson in the film Titanic. He auditioned for the part and even got as far as acting a scene alongside Kate Winslet who had already been cast. However, James Cameron had the final choice and he went with Leonardo Di Caprio. It is rumored that it was his performance in A Time To Kill that bought him to the attention of James Cameron in the first place. Matthew and Leonardo would go on to star together in The Wolf Of Wall Street a number of years later.
7. He Lost 50 Pounds For His Role In Dallas Buyers Club
One of the biggest challenges that he has faced when making movies was to lose a considerable amount of weight for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. He played Ron Woodroof, a man who was diagnosed with Aids and set up a business providing drugs that could help manage symptoms to other sufferers. The film was based on a true story and he tried to look as much like the real Ron Woodroof as possible. As most of the events took place near to the end of his life then he needed to lose as much weight as possible in order for the film to look realistic.
8. This Role Also Earned Him His First Academy Award
His performance in Dallas Buyers Club earned him his first ever Oscar. This was also the first time that he had been nominated for an award and so he won on his first attempt. The award for Best Actor is one of the most coveted titles that an actor can earn in their careers and it must have been one of the proudest moments of his life. Jared Leto also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the same film.
9. He Is Married With Three Children
Matthew is married to model Camilla Alves and they have three children together. The couple met in 2006 and got engaged five years later when Matthew proposed on Christmas Day. The couple were married six months later in June 2012 when their eldest son was three years old. The couple are still happily married today and went on to have another two children. He has said in the past that being a father is the best thing that has happened to him in his life and is his proudest accomplishment.
10. His Favorite Actor Is Paul Newman
Paul Newman is his favorite actor and this is because of the charm and charisma that he brings to his roles. He has often been referred to as a modern day Paul Newman and so there is definitely some influence in his own acting roles. The two never acted in a movie together but there is a lot more that they have in common. They were both keen sportsmen and both got into acting after completing their education. Paul Newman had a career that spanned several decades and there is no reason why Matthew should not have a career that is just as long.
11. He Looks For Roles That Are Different To What He Has Portrayed Before
He likes to be challenged as an actor and therefore he looks for roles that are different to characters that he has played before. This is one of the reasons why he is considered to be such a diverse actor. It can be suggested that his career can be split into two different eras with him only taking on more serious roles in recent years. In his early career he had mostly light-hearted roles. As he is an actor that is in such demand he is able to pick and choose the roles that he plays.
12. He Plays A Lot Of Golf
Matthew is a big fan of the sport and has been known to spend a lot of time playing the sport in his spare time. He played golf in high school and was very good at it. He is also a very keen spectator and has often been spotted attending golf tournaments with his family. He is also good friends with Lance Armstrong and the two of them also attend golfing events together quite often.
13. He Has Competed In A Triathlon
He took part in the Malibu Nautica Triathlon in 2008 alongside other celebrities such as Anna Kournikova and Jennifer Lopez. He completed the race in a very respectable time of just over ninety minutes. He trained very hard for the event and this training was made more difficult by the fact that he had only recently become a father for the first time. He actually got into an altercation with a member of the paparazzi after the event in order to prevent intrusive photographs being taken of his newborn son.
14. He Has Been Arrested
Matthew was arrested in 1999 when he was discovered by police smoking marijuana and playing bongos in his garden while naked. He was kept at the police station overnight and released the next day. No charges were filed against him although he did pay a fine after admitting breaching the peace. This has been his only brush with the law and it is quite tame compared with some of the stories that come out of Hollywood.
15. He Has His Own Range Of Clothing
He has released his own clothing range which he has named JKL which is an acronym for Just Keep Living. This is also the name of the foundation that he set up in 2008 in memory of the death of his father. The line sells a range of casual clothing such as hats, t-shirts and flip flops. The clothes are reasonably priced which means they are affordable for everyone and this is something different to other celebrities who market their clothes as high end.
16. He Tries To Stay Friends With His Exes
He makes an effort to remain friends with his ex girlfriends after the relationship has ended. He has been quoted as saying that he would never want to break ties completely with anyone that has played an important role in his life. He hopes that he is in a position with all of his ex girlfriends that he could be invited to their weddings and there would be no awkwardness or embarrassment and vice versa. All of the relationships that he has had before he met his wife had been fairly serious and he is not the type to rush into relationships quickly with no thought.
17. He Calls His Mom Every Sunday
He has a close relationship with his mother and always makes the effort to call her every Sunday. He has also taken her on holidays with him and his family and she is just as close to his wife and their children. He has had this close bond with his mother throughout his whole life as she was a kindergarten teacher and was the one that taught him and his brothers. He lost his father at a fairly young age and this is something else that has strengthened the bond between him and his mother.
18. True Detective Is The Only TV Show He Has Starred In
Matthew is known for his movie roles but he has also starred in a TV show although this has only happened on one occasion. He starred in two series of True Detective alongside Woody Harrelson. He has won several awards for his role in this series and it was also very well received by critics. The show really allowed him to explore his character in a greater depth than he would have had chance to in a film. It has been suggested that the performance he gave in this series was instrumental in him being offered the more serious film roles that he is now becoming known for.
19. He Has Taught Classes At UT-Austin
He attended school himself at UT-Austin and wanted to give something back to the college. The course in film production featured two sessions that were taught by Matthew. In the first session he discussed the filming of the 2016 movie Free State Of Jones which he starred in. The second session was taught alongside Scott Rice and Gary Ross and focused more on the directing aspect of making a film. The courses were offered for free and as many students as possible were encouraged to attend.
20. He Is An Animal Lover
He has loved animals his whole life and is a dog owner. He had his first dog for over twelve years before she developed cancer and had to be put to sleep. After this he was not sure that he wanted another dog but eventually he chose another rescue dog and since then they have added another dog to the family. He also made a very personal effort to rescue as many animals as possible that were trapped by flood waters after Hurricane Katrina.
