In the run up to the release of Matthew McConaughey’s book Greenlights, a story truly on brand for the actor was released to the press pertaining to his father’s passing. As McConaughey’s dad had expected, he died in the middle of sex with his wife, Mary Kathlene McCabe; a moment that his mother informed him of in a fateful phone call, as he recounts in the book. However, there’ renew details about how The Gentleman star processed the news in his own time, and it involved a visit to the strip club. That sounds about right.
As Vanity Fair got its hands on the oral history Alright Alright Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, a story about Matthew McConaughey’s loss of his father in 1992 is recounted by friend Sam Lawrence. The day that Matthew’s father James had passed on, the Academy Award-winning actor needed company to get through that particular day. Which lead to the following anecdote taking place:
Matthew called me the day his dad died. ‘Dude, I need someone to hang out with.’ And we ended up at a strip club. By the way, if you ever want to feel completely invisible, go to a strip club with Matthew McConaughey. It was weird. He was talking about his dad, really emotional stuff; we’re talking across the table, just looking at each other, and in the meantime, strippers are walking across the table.
If we didn’t know any better, this story would sound like a deleted scene from True Detective Season 1. Keeping in mind the reality of this story, it still tracks as a very Matthew McConaughey moment. With an easy going nature when it comes to his personal life, hanging out with a good friend and enjoying a night out is definitely something that feels like a McConaughey method of unwinding in a sorrowful moment.
While he was knocked aback by the death of his father, Matthew McConaughey is a man that can carry those emotions, while also processing them in his own unique way. It’s part of that unique outlook on life that the man himself exudes, in a way that someone as zen as Jeff Bridges would even be able to admire. Even in non-death related stories, there’s just this sort of calm and sage wisdom that permeates his interactions with people. This is the same guy who devised secret signals with Jennifer Garner so that she could take care of her duties as a parent while filming Dallas Buyers Club. So really, there’s nothing that the man can’t handle.
If you’re looking to learn more about Matthew McConaughey and not only his outlook on life, but also his part in the historic production of Dazed and Confused, you should make some room on your bookshelf or library queue for a couple of key texts. Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused hits bookstores and e-readers on November 17; while Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights will be on shelves two days prior. In-between flipping pages from either of those tomes, don’t forget to keep it tuned to CinemaBlend, to keep track of what’s coming to theaters throughout the rest of 2020, and whatever else will be around to entertain the world in the meantime.
