Matthew McConaughey credits a conversation he had with his business manager for the renaissance in his career that has seen him collecting an Oscar earlier this year, and now starring in Christopher Nolan's stunning blockbuster 'Interstellar'.
Matthew is now so established as one of the finest, most versatile character actors AND movie stars of his generation, that it seems bizarre to remember, only a few summers ago, he was having trouble even getting in the room to be considered for roles away from rom-coms relying on his shirtless, buff form and winning smile.
Matthew McConaughey plays farmer Cooper in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi blockbuster 'Interstellar'
He tells HuffPostUK that it was his decision to stop working for the best part of two years, and say no to a bunch of predictable offers that meant he became, in his words, "somebody's version of a new good idea".
He explains, "It was the anonymity that did it. I became kind of un-branded in the minds of others for a while."
However, with a wife and young family to look after, he admits he got anxious about his career-defining decision, until he sat down for a conversation with his business manager.
"I had to say, 'Is rent going to be paid? Am I going to have to sell the house? Because I'm going to go into the shadows here for a little while.
"But he told me, everything was fine, to go for it. And I had a supportive wife in this too."
Matthew McConaughey's weight-loss and striking portrayal of Ron Woodruff earned him an Oscar for 'Dallas Buyers Club'
Good fortune favoured this career courage, with Matthew collecting this year's Best Leading Actor Oscar for his role of an AIDS sufferer organising drugs for himself and others in 'Dallas Buyers Club' - an honour he by no means takes for granted.
"I’m fortunate to have more than a job, this is my career, this is something I love to do," he says passionately.
"I’ve been doing it for 22 years, and I’m constantly growing, trying to get better at what I do. So I got granted the gold standard for our industry for doing excellent work. It means a lot.
"But it in no way feels like a destination, or a finishing line. It’s a wonderful peak of a moment in my career, but very quickly, you think, right, let’s go back to work."
And here we are, with his role as farmer turned astronaut Cooper central to Christopher Nolan's enormous sci-fi dramatic epic 'Interstellar' - a film surprisingly as much about family love as it is about space travel and exploration. It's not the first time Matthew's gone into space on screen, but it's got him thinking again...
"I did a film called 'Contact' over a decade ago, and that made me think how big this back yard is.
"This one has me thinking about the tangibility, the practicality, the accessibility of that being a new frontier. What’s out there? I’m looking up more."
'Interstellar' is in UK cinemas this Friday 7 November. Watch the trailer above...
