Matthew McConaughey Reveals One Thing People Are Always Surprised About When They Work With Him On Films

Matthew McConaughey as Michael 'Mickey' Pearson in the Gentlemen
(Image credit: STXFilms)

Following nearly thirty years in the business, Matthew McConaughey has built a more than ‘alright, alright, alright’ reputation among audiences and within the industry. He’s a respected dramatic actor (and Oscar winner), former rom-com leading man, 2005’s sexiest man alive, the star of a number of viral commercials and more recently the author of his awe-inspiring memoir, Greenlights. All that in mind, the 52 year old actor still often surprises other actors when they work with him. 

Most recently, Matthew McConaughey has returned as his animated character of Buster Moon for Sing 2. While speaking to POPSUGAR about the film, he shared one thing about him that his collaborators don’t often expect of him when they get on set: 

I think they always expect me to be laid-back. And they’re surprised sometimes when I’m not so laid-back. But they’re also, I think, appreciative when I am laid-back, because I am laid-back, sometimes.

I’d be surprised, too. Maybe it’s the Dazed and Confused of it all, but Matthew McConaughey definitely gives off the impression that he just gracefully leapt off a leisurely glide on a yacht before interview appearances, so he must take that into his work too? Apparently not. The actor shared that he’s not always the “laid-back” person people imagine him as and get a bit taken aback when they notice this side of him. 

Now, McConaughey’s answer is pretty laidback and cryptic in some ways too, because as he shares, sometimes he is very much the chill guy people think he is. However, it must be a little tough to walk around in the world with other people thinking you’re the image of Matthew McConaughey when the actor is also in fact a human who can emanate a mixture of authentic feelings, depending on the day and what’s going on in his life. 

Gunter, Buster Moon and Ash in Sing 2

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Matthew McConaughey reprises the voice of Buster Moon in Sing 2 five years after the original Sing movie enchanted families. In the sequel, the theatre-owning koala and his friends from the prior movie have to persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway (voiced by U2’s Bono) to join the opening of their new show. 

While McConaughey is not among the singing performers of the Sing franchise, he is joined by Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, Nick Kroll and Halsey, who each lend their pipes to the songs performed throughout the animated film. It’s a rare instance for McConaughey to reprise a role, which the actor recently spoke to during an interview with CinemaBlend. In his words: 

Well, maybe the fact that it's an animated character had something to do with it. Maybe it's the fact that it's an easily scalable character to say, OK, first one's about getting your show up in your town. Now it's raised the stakes naturally to go, let's get it in our so-called Vegas on the bigger stage where the stakes are higher. And then what if we're using three? Would I be up for that? Most likely, yeah.

You can hear Matthew McConaughey’s Buster Moon raise the stakes of the Sing movies in Sing 2, now playing only in theaters. And check out what releases are coming in the new year with our 2022 new movie schedule

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.