Matthew McConaughey staged a serious upset at the Golden Globes, triumphing over odds-on favorite Chiwetel Ejiofor and much-acclaimed opponents Tom Hanks and Robert Redford to win Best Actor in a Drama for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. The film now marks a new high point for McConaughey’s recent cinematic redemption: The actor shed many pounds (and the last vestige of his romcom glamour) to play Ron Woodroof, the good ol’ boy-turned-AIDS activist (and anti-government folk hero.)

In his speech, an exuberant McConaughey stressed the film’s long development journey, noting that it was “an underdog” for 20 years and was turned down 86 times. He segued into a nice shout-out to his mom, before finally thanking his wife. “She kicked my ass out the door! ‘Go git it! Go GIT it! Mah man! Mah KING!'” It’s a big win at an auspicious time. With the Oscar noms coming this week, McConaughey’s win at the Globes positions him as a serious spoiler in the stacked Best Actor category.