Matthew McConaughey was propelled to success as a notable romantic comedy star in the 2000s. Despite his initial rise to fame with the courtroom drama ‘A Time to Kill‘ in 1996, McConaughey’s career in the following decade was largely defined by romantic comedies. He went on to make an impression of himself with similar roles in hits like ‘The Wedding Planner‘, ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days‘, and ‘Failure to Launch‘.
While his career seemed to going on a good path at the time with growing popularity, the actor recently revealed that the similar nature of roles almost led him to quit acting.
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Matthew McConaughey’s Image As A Rom-Com Hero Left Him Frustrated
In a recent interview with Interview Magazine, Matthew McConaughey revealed that after a solid decade in rom-coms, he felt like a typecast and yearned for roles that brought in some diversity. His frustration peaked after starring in ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past‘ in 2009, and he almost decided to quit acting.
“I wanted to try some other stuff,” he said, noting that Hollywood wasn’t offering him the roles he sought. “I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag. When I had my romcom years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me.”
Frustrated, he decided step away from acting for two years. This hiatus also proved to be a difficult one for the actor. During this break, McConaughey admitted to having contemplated alternative careers. He said he considered teaching high school or becoming a wildlife guide.
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How Matthew McConaughey’s 2-Year-Long Hiatus Proved To Be The Right Decision
Recalling the time he was on a two-year-long hiatus, Matthew McConaughey said it was “scary” and marred by “a sense of insignificance.” Though surrounded by a lot of uncertainty, the actor committed to his decision and stayed on a break for as long as he needed.
“But 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,” he continued. “But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”
Ultimately, the break from Hollywood paid off well. He returned to the industry with a series of diverse and critically acclaimed roles, a period now referred to as the “McConaissance.” His comeback began with ‘The Lincoln Lawyer‘ in 2011, followed by notable performances in ‘Killer Joe‘, ‘Bernie‘, ‘Mud‘, and ‘Magic Mike‘.
His role as Ron Woodroof in ‘Dallas Buyers Club‘ also earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor, as he further went on to garner acclaim for his role in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar‘.
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