Matthew McConaughey nearly stopped acting after becoming disgusted with Hollywood.
While it may appear like Matthew McConaughey has always been a constant presence on movie screens, there was a point when he considered quitting acting entirely.
That’s true, the Hollywood heartthrob almost gave up.
He made his film debut in 1993 when he was only 23. Do you recall Dazed and Confused?
Even though he is now one of the world’s most celebrated actors, having won a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics Choice Award during his time in the spotlight, he initially contemplated seeking a ‘regular job’.
Before making his final decision, the Dallas Buyers Club star took a long sabbatical from acting in the late 2000s to test the waters.
But why?
Many fans of McConaughey’s incredibly successful career, particularly rom-com fans, were first introduced to the Texas star in 2001, when he appeared as hunky paediatrician Steve Edison in The Wedding Planner, where he played singer Jennifer Lopez’s love interest.
In addition to the handful of thrillers and action smashes he delivered over the next two years, he garnered fans for his part as heartthrob advertising executive Benjamin Barry, co-starring with leading lady Kate Hudson, in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
That same year, he also earned a role in the ‘couple-y’ comedy Tiptoes, costarring Kate Beckinsale.
In fact, between 2001 and 2009, McConaughey participated in a record seven romantic comedy smashes.
And, while his parts in such films earned him a massive fan base, audiences had no idea that the actor was dreaded being type-cast.
So much so that after the release of the final rom-com of the period, 2009’s Ghost of Girlfriends Past, he took a two-year break from acting.
In a chat with Interview recently, the Interstellar star recalled: “I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag.
“When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me.
“But I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course I wasn’t getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years.”
The actor further said that, throughout this trying time, he and wife Camila Alves – with whom he has three children, Levi, 16, Vida, 14, and Livingston, 11 – had several ‘long chats’ concerning his future career.
“Dude, it was scary,” he admitted, also revealing he’d temporarily considered taking up a career as a teacher.
“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.'”
