Matthew McConaughey made one of his biggest decisions when he decided to move out of Hollywood. The actor decided to move back to his home state of Texas after feeling stuck with his career, opting to take a new approach to life with his wife Camila Alves and their three children.
© VarietyMcConaughey has often discussed the decision to leave Hollywood, revealing that it allowed him to live a happier and more fulfilling life. In an appearance on the "Good Trouble" podcast, McConaughey discussed the moment again, including a promise that he made to his wife, one that he's stood by after all these years.
“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 said.
“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.’ 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.”
After he and his family had relocated, he made a pact with Alves: “I’m not going back to work unless I get offered roles I want to do.”
McConaughey says his decision to stick to work he finds rewarding has paid off
McConaughey explained that his decision to take a step back and focus on new things was rebellious and one of the reasons why his career took a turn as a dramatic actor, someone who starred in projects like "True Detective" and "The Dallas Buyers Club."
“That was probably seen as the most rebellious move in Hollywood by me because it really sent the signal, ‘He ain’t fucking bluffing,'” McConaughey he said. “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.'”
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