Film star was 'scared' when he quit acting - 'You should have stayed in your lane'

Matthew McConaughey has explained he was terrified when he decided to step away from acting for two years after his hit rom-com with Jennifer Garner.

The Oscar-winning actor, who has been in the biz since 1996, is widely-known for being one of Hollywood‘s most successful stars. His start in the movie industry began with a long list of romantic comedies, especially with the hit films that came out in the 2000s. However, this wasn’t what he wanted to be remembered as. When Matthew McConaughey tried to step back from doing rom-coms he was scared that his career would go up in flames. Even though he was petrified over what it would mean for the future, he still took the plunge.

Matthew McConaughey quit acting for two years to get away from rom-coms

The 54-year-old’s first role saw his iconic catchphrase born, ‘Alright, alright, alright’, which was actually an impromptu ad-lib on the celebrity‘s part.

He also doesn’t mind fans calling it out to him, either, knowing it helped put him on the map.

Since then, he’s starred in various blockbusters, from Interstellar to Dallas Buyers Club, with the latter being a flick he had to fight to get made and offered up his own money to get it going.

However, before these silver screen greats, he carved out his career with his highly-successful romantic comedies. Some of Matthew McConaughey’s biggest rom-coms were How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Wedding Planner and Failure to Launch.

But once 10 years passed, he had had enough of this genre. The dad even considered leaving acting for good in a bid to get out, and he knew, deep down, it was going against the execs in Hollywood too. It was a tough time, but his wife Camila Alves supported him.

In a recent chat with Interview Magazine, Matthew McConaughey spoke to fellow actor Glen Powell on why he gave up rom-coms, and had to turn down gigs to make his point.

‘I was scared’

Matthew McConaughey said: “I’ve usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag. When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me.

“But I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course, I wasn’t getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years.”

Glenn asked: “What does that look like when you’re in it? Are you aware it’s going to be a two-year break?”

The 54-year-old replied: “Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation. “I think I’m going to teach high school classes. I think I’m going to study to be a conductor. I think I’m going to go be a wildlife guide.”

“I honestly thought, “I stepped out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane.” The lane Hollywood said I should stay in, and Hollywood’s like, “Well, f**k you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later.”

He added: “It was scary. The days are long—the sense of insignificance. But I made up my mind that that’s what I needed to do, so I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on.

“But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”

Matthew McConaughey also spoke about this time period in his New York Times Bestseller memoir, Green Lights, where he talked about the transition away from the camera. He dived into how his dad died the exact way he predicted, and meeting his wife.

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