Matthew McConaughey Says He Fully Embraced Being Hollywood's Rom-Com 'Go-To Guy' In Interview

Jun 20, 2021 by apost team

Matthew McConaughey has been an icon in the movie industry since the early 1990s. While he has starred in a plethora of films in many different genres, he is most known for his heartthrob moments in the romantic comedy movies he has appeared in. With his smooth charm and plenty of shirtless scenes, it’s not hard to see why McConaughey has been tabbed as the go-to guy for romantic comedies.

Although the famous actor’s breakthrough in the industry came from his part in the ensemble in the comedy “Dazed and Confused,” McConaughey’s real rise to fame came from his time portraying the handsome and sexy boyfriend in a number of romantic comedy films. His sweet southern drawl and charm, along with his great looks, made him the perfect candidate for the genre.

Some of McConaughey’s most classic romantic comedy movies include “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” starring opposite Kate Hudson, “The Wedding Planner” with Jennifer Lopez, “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” where he worked with Jennifer Garner, and “Failure to Launch” with Sarah Jessica Parker. During an Apple Music Interview on June 16, 2021, McConaughey talked about how he became the go-to guy for rom-coms, and how it brought him an immense amount of success and fame.

McConaughey fully embraced being Hollywood’s rom-com go-to-guy, and he was able to make a lot of money as he continued to gain more fame and success. However, he didn’t want to stay in this part of the industry for his entire career and embraced new opportunities when they came his way.

“I’m the go-to-guy at rom-coms,” McConaughey said during an Apple Music interview with country music star Tim McGraw. “I’m living in a pad in Malibu surfing on the beach shirtless. I’m shitless rom-com McConaughey and I’m like, ‘You damn right I am, those rom-coms are paying for these houses that I’m renting on the beach, baby.’” Proud of how far he’s come with the help of his early claim to fame in the movie industry, McConaughey said, “I’m fully happy with that.” The 51-year-old star has been an actor since the early 1990s and has starred in plenty of movies in various genres, but he owes his early rise to fame to his roles in rom-coms.

“At the same time, I started to feel like every rom-com script I did, I go, ‘Oh, that’s a good one. I think I can do that tomorrow morning,’” McConaughey added. However, he didn’t want to stay in the genre forever, as he felt like he had more talents to showcase and more to contribute to the entertainment industry. “Then I was like, ‘Well, I’m glad you feel like you could do that tomorrow morning,’ but I was like, ‘I want to be scared.’ I want to look at something and go, ‘Oh, I don’t know what I’m going to do with that,’” McConaughey said.

This led McConaughey to venture out and look for different types of roles to help broaden his horizons and expand on his current resume. As a result, he went through a career renaissance as he continued to turn down large amounts of money for rom-coms so he could focus on getting jobs where he could portray different types of characters.

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During his interview with McGraw, McConaughey talked about just how much money he turned down so he could push his career forward. “They started at an $8 million offer. I said no,” he explained. The offer continued to rise and rise until it got to a whopping $14.5 million deal, but McConaughey still turned it down. “Let me tell you, at $14.5 million, it was the same words at the $8 million offer, but it was a more well-written script sir,” McConaughey said. “It was a funny script. It had more. But I said no.”

This was the catalyst for changing his career, and although he didn’t get any jobs for the next 14 to 15 months, McConaughey stayed optimistic. During the time he was not working in Hollywood, he was able to disconnect from the industry, and the industry disconnected from him. McConaughey’s time as a rom-com actor was no longer the focal point of his career, and he was able to work on rebranding himself as a more serious actor.

“Because I found anonymity in those two years — I underbranded — and no one knew where I was,” McConaughey said. “By not being around, they were like, ‘You know who’s a bright new idea? McConaughey for this.’ Then when they came, I jumped on it.”

Some of the movies McConaughey went to star in following his rom-com legacy and dry spell included “The Lincoln Lawyer” in 2011, “Magic Mike” in 2012, “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2013, and “Dallas Buyers Club” in 2013. Although he had stepped away from the genre that brought him fame and success, McConaughey continued to thrive in the film industry and still does to this day while still being just as handsome and charming as ever.

What did you think about Matthew McConaughey’s claim to fame? What’s your favorite movie he’s starred in? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too!