Over the course of his career, Matthew McConaughey has starred in a number of romantic comedies which have gone on to become highly acclaimed classics. A star in the field of rom-coms, the actor has also spoken up about disliking being called a rom-com actor.
McConaughey has now revealed how he turned down a $14 million dollar role after being dubbed as a ‘rom-com’ dude. Here’s the full story.
Why Matthew McConaughey Turned Down A $14 Million Dollar Role In Hollywood
Matthew McConaughey decided to literally and figuratively leave Hollywood and go to his ranch in Texas almost 20 years ago, leaving behind his carefully manicured “rom-com dude” persona in order to be more picky about his roles.
However, McConaughey claimed he received an opportunity to do an action-comedy movie for $8 million after two years of his Hollywood standstill, which also he turned down.
“I said, ‘No thank you.’” McConaughey revealed to Nick Kyrgios on his podcast, Good Trouble. “They came back with a $10 million offer. I said, ‘No thank you.’ They came back with a $12 million offer. I said, ’No thank you.’ Came back with a $14.5 million…I said, ‘Let me read that again.’”
“Same script, as the one that was offered for 8, but it was better. I mean $6.5 million more dollars. It was better,” he said. “It was funnier. I could see myself in this.”
He added that he thought, “‘This might work for you, McConaughey. This one might be one to come back and do.’ But I said no…That was probably seen as the most rebellious move in Hollywood by me because it really sent the signal, ‘He ain’t f—ing bluffing.'”
“And when you got someone who’s not bluffing, there’s something attractive about that.I think that’s what made Hollywood go, ‘You know what? He’s now a new novel idea. He’s a new bright idea,'” he added.
Matthew McConaughey Talks About Shedding Off His Rom-Com Dude Reputation
Ovef the course of his career, the actor has successfully made a number of romantic comedies and have been hailed as one of the best actors in the genre. However, there came a time when Matthew had had enough of his ‘rom-com‘ dude reputation and wanted to shed it off.
Related: Glen Powell Is Leaving Hollywood For Texas And Matthew McConaughey Is The Reason
“When I was rolling with the rom-coms, and I was the ‘rom-com dude,’ that was my lane and I liked that lane. That lane paid well, and it was working,” he admitted.
“I was so strong in that lane that anything outside that lane – dramas and stuff that I want[ed] to do – were like, ‘No, no, no. No, McConaughey.’ Hollywood said, ’No, no, no. You should stay there,'” he added.
“So, since I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, I stopped doing what I was doing, and I moved down to the ranch in Texas,” he said.
