Even in his younger years, Matthew McConaughey knew he was destined to live a life that would lead to a story worth telling. His new memoir Greenlights, which is set to be released on Oct. 20, 2020 by Crown, prophetically begins with the following poem he scribbled down in 1989, according to The New York Times: "I think I'll write a book. A word about my life. I wonder who would give a d*** about the pleasures and the strife?" And now, he's done just that. Read on for more on his new book, and for another celebrity tome people are talking about, check out Mariah Carey Explains Why One Ex Is Missing From Her Memoir.
Filled with details about his life—spanning from his humble Texas upbringing through his long and, in recent years, critically lauded career—Greenlights has no shortage of what can only be described as classic McConaughey-isms. Speaking to The New York Times about what he hoped to accomplish in writing the book, McConaughey said: "The words on the page are still worthy to share if they were signed by anonymous, but at the same time be a book that only McConaughey could've wrote." (Note: This isn't the only time he speaks in the third person.)
Ultimately, the book aims to set the record straight on how the public perceives the Oscar winner, known for his penchant for a particular medicinal plant and playing the bongos in the buff. In other words, he wants you to know that not everything is all groovy all the time, even when you're Matthew McConaughey.
And with that in mind, we've gathered four of his most memorable dramatic roles in which he shined playing characters in situations where things were not alright, alright, alright. And for more recent news about the actor, check out Kate Hudson Reveals Why She Didn't Love Kissing Matthew McConaughey.
1 Dallas Buyers Club
The physical commitment McConaughey displayed as rail-thin Ron Woodroof, a cowboy in Texas with AIDS in the 1980s struggling to seek experimental and illegal treatment, was certainly impressive. But that should take a backseat to the true acting skills the rom-com mainstay showcased in 2013's excellent Dallas Buyers Club. That's what won McConaughey the Academy Award and reintroduced him to the masses as a serious actor. And for more transformative roles, here are 14 Actors Who Looked Unrecognizable in Major Movies.
2 Mud
Released a year prior to Dallas Buyers Club, writer-director Jeff Nichols' mesmerizing, and often overlooked, southern gothic masterpiece Mud features one of McConaughey's greatest performances. Determined to get his girl (Reese Witherspoon) back, the eponymous Mud is an enigmatic fugitive on a deserted island on the Mississippi River, who enlists the help of two boys in fixing up his boat. Think Stand by Me, but more subtly poetic and powerful. And for more stars in their earlier years, here are The Biggest '90s TV Teen Idols, Then and Now.
3 The Lincoln Lawyer
McConaughey showed he had the ability to carry a courtroom drama with 1996's A Time to Kill, but it was 2011's The Lincoln Lawyer where his legal thriller leading man chops really showed. And for more on the part McConaughey missed out on, here are 50 Iconic Movie Roles That Almost Went to Someone Else.
4 True Detective
If you haven't watched the first season of HBO's True Detective in a while, it's worth revisiting. Some elements don't age quite as well as others, but all-in-all it's pretty incredible television, and one thing that holds firmly is McConaughey's powerful performance as complex detective Rust Cohle. Insert "time is a flat circle" joke here. And for more up-to-date information delivered to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
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