Matthew McConaughey's McConnaissance – the mid-career handbrake turn out of flaccid rom-coms like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and into heftier, worthier stuff - was an illusion, according to Matthew McConaughey himself.

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"That whole thing was much less of a 180 for myself than people seemed to think," McConaughey told - hold onto yourselves - Cigar Aficionado magazine. "There was this narrative of ‘then’ and ‘now’. I didn’t get a new acting coach or take a new class. I just said, ‘Fuck the bucks—I’m going for the experience’ in the things I was choosing."

"I quit trying to project how something would be received and decided to just be an actor for hire again," he said. "I love being an actor and going as deep as you can in a role, to really commit to the craft. I put my head down and went after roles that scared me."



That led to McConaughey's work with auteurs including William Friedkin (Killer Joe), Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) and Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike).

The run of critical and commercial hits dried up when The Sea of Trees, Free State of Jones, Gold and The Dark Tower went and dropped like stones, but McConaughey did have the biggest box office return of his career in 2016 in Sing, in which he voiced a hyperactive koala bear.

His next film, White Boy Rick, could be a return to his McConaissance form, and there's also the upcoming stoner comedy he's made with Snoop Dogg, The Beach Bum.

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