Matthew McConaughey Reveals Why He Almost Abandoned His Hollywood Career

Matthew McConaughey revealed that he nearly abandoned Hollywood and considered “a new vocation” because he was so sick of being cast in romantic comedies. “It was scary,” the 54-year-old admitted during a recent conversation with Glen Powell.

It's just one piece of guidance that McConaughey has provided to fellow Texas native as the younger star has worked his way up Hollywood’s ranks. The pair sat down for a discussion with Interview published earlier this month, in which Powell explained how McConaughey convinced him to ditch Los Angeles and move back home to Texas. During the chat, McConaughey continued to fortify Powell with guidance.

“I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag,” McConaughey explained. "When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those … I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course I wasn’t getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years.”

In the mid-aughts, McConaughey starred in a string of lukewarm romantic comedies—including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), Fool’s Gold (2008), and Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past (2009)—which were largely predicated on scenarios in which its buff star had to take his shirt off.

“Those were some solid hits for me,” McConaughey recalled.

But he wasn’t satisfied being typecast, nor was he satisfied with the work those movies required. Dejected, he left Hollywood. Between 2009 and 2011 he considered new career paths, and didn’t make any new films.

“Dude, it was scary,” McConaughey told Powell. “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 [metro] 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.’”

McConaughey said that during that period “the days [were] long—the sense of insignificance.” But he knew he was capable of better work, and he refused to go crawling back to studio comedies.

“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.”

McConaughey returned to screens in 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer, which was largely considered a comeback for the actor. He followed it up with divergent character roles in projects that received universal acclaim: Killer Joe, Mud, Magic Mike, True Detective, and Dallas Buyers Club. For the latter role, he won an Oscar for Best Actor.