Matthew McConaughey is in the same room as me! Deep breathes. Yes I’m a fan, a big fan, so much so that when I discovered he was partaking in a session at SXSW Film, I just had to be there. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see him in the flesh. You see, I wasn’t at SXSW for the film festival; I was actually there for Interactive, the tech conference. But for an extra $200 I could participate in film as well. I’ve never handed over my credit card details so fast. Job done, I’m in.
To answer the question you’re asking right now, yes Matthew McConaughey is as gorgeous in person.
But wait, there’s more… He’s intelligent, articulate and funny. I know, the crush just got bigger right?
We all love him in romantic comedies. He’s brilliant in them, and he says acting in them is like riding a bike; he’s on autopilot because the genre doesn’t require much effort. But he wanted to stretch himself and play parts that really required him to think about how the character would be portrayed. So he started to turn down the romantic comedy roles. Until there were no roles coming in at all. He questioned himself and wondered had he made the wrong decision. And then it happened. The right kind of roles started to appear; and still continue to appear. Here is the lesson for us.
Just because you are good at something, and it’s second nature, doesn’t mean it’s what you should be doing.
Is it fuelling your soul? Is it stretching your capabilities? It’s only when you say no and make room for the “new” that what you should be doing will come your way. When Matthew (I feel like I’m on first name terms with him now) is immersed in a role, he’s super immersed. So much so that it affects his behaviour “outside” of work. So when he was acting a psychopath role, he was conscious of not taking that home and, as such, was quiet in his real life while playing this character. And the opposite happens when he’s playing a fun-loving character – he takes that home, and his kids love it! So what is the second lesson for us?
We can all get immersed in our “roles” in life, but the key is to make sure we are showing up in our life, in all of our roles.
It’s interesting that the Austin locals talk about the big parties Matthew used to have. Police were called, people were naked, etc. He was living the stereotypical Hollywood lifestyle. But now he appears to be the consummate family man, enjoying being at home, but also crafting his skill and giving back to his local town.
I guess we all grow up at some stage – even Hollywood actors.
I came to SXSW, I saw Matthew McConaughey and I conquered my crush on him. It’s bigger than ever.
