Matthew McConaughey: Rom-Com made actor almost quit Hollywood

Matthew McConaughey recalled how starring in multiple back-to-back in his career made him almost quit Hollywood.

Before wanting to jump into a different genre, the Dallas Buyers Club actor appeared in movies like The Wedding Planner (2001), How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009).

“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,” McConaughey told Interview. “But I wanted to try some other stuff.”

McConaughey shared that he “wasn’t getting” the roles that he wanted and considered the option “to leave Hollywood for two years.”

“Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation,” McConaughey said about taking a pause from his budding career.

“I think I’m going to teach high school classes. I think I’m going to study to be a conductor. I think I’m going to go be a wildlife guide. 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, fuck you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later.’”

McConaughey restated that “it was scary” but he decided to stand on his decision to take a break, adding, “I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on. But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”

The star returned after a two-year break with a role in The Lincoln Lawyer in 2011 and went on to star in several other big projects.