It would be hard to find a better representative in Hollywood that many men aspire to be like than Matthew McConaughey. Charming, well-spoken, good looking, sharp dresser and more than anything: original. From the Wild Turkey Bourbon commercials (one of my favorite bourbons) and the Lincoln car commercials to the infamous romantic comedy movies such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and more recently Oscar winning performances like Dallas Buyer’s Club. I think all of us knew that he was deeper than David Wooderson from Dazed and Confused but this book shatters any stereotypes that might have been assigned to McConaughey prior. As a life long Matthew McConaughey fan, I couldn’t resist picking up his memoir Greenlights. Although I was skeptical of yet another actor writing a memoir, this book was just an honest collection of his thoughts on his life, his choices, his experiences and career. Ryan Holiday sums the book up best, “It shouldn’t surprise you that this book is good, but it will surprise you just how good it is.”
Born in the great state of Texas, Matthew McConaughey grew up in Uvalde and later moved to Longview. He writes, “Where Uvalde taught me to deal, Longview taught me to dream.” The youngest brother of three (Pat and Mike are his two older brothers), Matthew’s parents Jim and Katy had a functional dysfunctional marriage in which they raised the brothers with traditional southern values in spite of the challenges that life threw at them.
A big turning point in Matthew’s life was his student exchange trip to Australia after graduating high school. Perhaps projecting a sun filled relaxing semester in Australia was on the 18 year old’s mind but ended up being a personally challenging time. An odd host family mixed with home sickness pushed the young McConaughey into himself, “Before my trip to Australia I was never an introspective man. On that trip I was forced to look inside myself for the first time to make sense of what was going on around me… Yeah, I was forced into a winter. Forced to look inside myself because I didn’t have anyone else. I didn’t have anything else. I’d lost my crutches. No mom and dad, no friends, no girlfriend, no straight A’s, no phone, no truck, no “Most Handsome.”
After Australia, McConaughey ended up at The University of Texas and had goals of becoming a lawyer. He came across the book The Greatest Salesman in the World and read “I will form good habits and become their slave.” This quote ended up giving him an epiphany that law school was not for him. His goal was to tell stories and decided to study film instead. He writes about the conversation with his dad, “Well, I don’t want to go to law school anymore, I want to go to film school. Silence. One. Two. Three. Four. Five seconds. Then I heard a voice. A kind, inquisitive voice. “Is that what you wanna do?” he asked. “Yes sir, Dad, it is.” Silence. Another five seconds. “Well… Don’t half-ass it.”
Taking on a part time job and signing with a talent agency plus being in the right place at the right time helped McConaughey secure the role of Wooderson for the upcoming movie, Dazed and Confused. With no lines written, McConaughey famously came up with the line “Alright, alright, alright” as he pulled up on Cynthia which ended up perhaps being his most memorable line of all time and turned his day dream into a career.
Another pivotal moment in his life was the loss of his father during the shooting of Dazed and Confused. He writes, “Losing my father, like it is for many, was my most seminal rite of passage into manhood. No more safety net. No one above the law and government looking after me anymore. It was time for me to grow up. Time to say goodbye to the boy I’d been, building tree house in the middle of the night.” This tragedy also brought inspiration. Once again in the filming of the movie, at the final shoot, he had no lines. As the young teens are on the football field after a night of partying his character says, “I think it’s all about livin, man. Even though my dad’s no longer physically here, his spirit is still alive in me for as long as I keep it alive. I can still talk to him, do my best to live by what he taught me, and keep him alive forever.”
There is a lot more in this book: inspiration, challenges and a deep drive to get the most out of life. Yes, McConaughey seems like he is larger than life but in this book, he clarifies that his path has the same challenges as ours. It is a deep philosophical book at times mixed with southern values along with a honest assessment of the man himself at 50 years old. I hope this inspires people just enough to try it out and set aside any preconceived ideas of Hollywood stereotypes. From a larger point of view, I think that this book is about setting goals (having dreams) and focusing on those goals no matter the cost. I will close with one of his reflections from the book, “It is not about win or lose, it is about do you accept the challenge.”
Written by Michael McPhail
Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused
Brains and Brawn 