'11
This story is from the April issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine with Matthew McConaughey on the cover. It’s been on newsstands for a while, but I picked it up in my local CVS and was pleased to see some new quotes I had read yet from McConaughey, who was recently unnecessarily bashed in Esquire by a journalist with a chip on his shoulder. (Thanks to all of you who pointed out that this was the same guy who made Brooklyn Decker look like an idiot, which she very well may be, but still.) The story in Cigar Aficionado is the one that McConaughey deserved in Esquire, because he comes across as thoughtful, introspective and grateful for his success in life. They quote people close to him who praise his career moves and talk about what a great guy he is. This is the impression I get of him in every interview and while I understand that he can be up his own ass sometimes, he’s a harmless stoner and they have that tendency. There’s no reason to paint a skewed picture of the guy because of it.
There are a lot of gems in this interview and it’s a shame they haven’t been more publicized. I love McConaughey’s take on the paparazzi particularly. He sees it as part of his job, and he’ll work out deals with them to leave him alone after they get their shots. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this article, and I would recommend you pick up the March/April issue of Cigar Aficionado if you’re a fan. It’s a very interesting and well written piece.
On public opinion making the law
“Public opinion is the tail wagging the dog, which is the law. It should be inverted. We elect these people because they supposedly know the law. Experts supposedly make the law. Judges are judges because they’re supposed to know the law. But when the public shouts first, public opinion creates a verdict before something even gets to court.On Michael Vick
“Look at the Michael Vick thing. The NFL didn’t go hard on him, until public opinion said, ‘Hang him.’ Then the feds and the NFL stepped in. I don’t think the penalty would have been what it was until the public’s outrage was expressed. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have served time. But look at all the high profile people who’ve been allowed to stay free while doing heinous things to other people. But you create any kind of smoke and a team or an institution is going to say, ‘We don’t like this attention,’ and they’ll fire him.”On how he deals with the paparazzi
“I was tired of getting pissed off. It was legitimate but I was tired of it. I though, well, am I ready to move to a place where they weren’t? No, not for good. Was I ready to build fences or tall walls around my house? No. So I just shook hands with it and dealt with it.“So, say I’m taking my kids to the beach. And the photographers are there. I just talk to them and say, ‘OK, go ahead and take your picture. And then move on.’ How many pictures do they need of me running on the beach? So far, they’ve mostly respected that. But you’ve got to have a relationship with that kind of thing if you go out in public because that check’s already been written. Sure, I feel intruded upon. But I don’t feel it’s unfair. I can’t do anything about it unless I move on or imprison myself, and I don’t want to live like that.”
On whether he’ll marry Camilla
“Marriage isn’t something I’m against. My parents married each other three times – and divorced twice. I know a few older couples who have been married a long time and are happy; I’ve been around healthy marriages. I knew I wanted a family and I found a woman I love and felt was right for me. I thought, ‘That’s the woman I want to make a family with.’ But marriage – it’s not something we feel we need to be complete. It doesn’t mean we won’t do it.“It doesn’t make my mom that happy that we’re not married. But it doesn’t make her mad either. Of course, I was raised to believe that you don’t have sex until you’re married. So there you are.”
[From Cigar Aficionado, print edition, April 2011]
There’s a lot more in there about how McConaughey got his start in Hollywood. He was discovered by a producer on Dazed and Confused in a bar in Austin, Texas. Then he went out to LA and started auditioning, earning his first leading role in Grisham’s A Time To Kill when he was up for a part of a Klansman and told the director he thought he should be the lead. They let him audition and then Grisham picked him personally for the role. McConaughey described the moment when Grisham called him personally with the news. “After I hung up, I went out and howled at the moon. That was big. I understood what that meant.”
I’ll be a Matthew McConaughey fan until he makes a dick move. Considering that he hasn’t done that in his 15 years of fame and has been nothing but low key, mellow and gracious with the press and even to the paparazzi that hound him, that probably won’t happen.
Above photos are scans from Cigar Aficionado magazine, where there are more. Photos of McConaughey running below are just from the month of March. Credit: Fame Pictures
Written by Celebitchy
Posted in Careers, Matthew McConaughey, Paparazzi
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Yum. Yum. Yum. Yummy.
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Now he is what I need for breakfast.
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those high boots in the first picture after the article, I just cannot see past the uglyness of those things
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i’m not a fan because i think he seems dumb as a box of rocks but i don’t dislike him either. he’s harmless.
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Damn is he is a good looking man!
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not for me, thanks
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My (step)mother went to high school with him in Marshall, TX (I think)…said he was always a really nice guy. I think this solidifies it. It seems to me that when people have country accents, others think they are stupid. Obviously MM isn’t a dummy and is a good guy
This interview solidifies it for me!
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I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He is divoon!
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He’s no dummy. He’s actually a well read, intelligent man and a gentleman on top of it. The boy was raised right. I worked on the first unit of one film that he was in (“We Are Marshall”) and he went out of his way to treat the crew right.
The only negative – he doesn’t wear deodorant.
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Hot, sweet, cute. And not a bimboy, he has substance enough for his biz.
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I saw the Lincoln Lawyer this weekend and he was great in it. Probably his best performance since A Time to Kill. I hope he hasn’t traded in playing his bongo drums for smoking cigars, although I would happily watch him do either naked. Yea, baby!
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I know a few people that grew up with him and have known him for years. Always nice things to say about him, but you do hear the occasional bad hygiene story. My daughters old Math teacher who attended UT went into the UT office and took a peek at MM’s transcripts. Said it wasn’t too good. LOL But hey, even to get accepted into UT is an accomplishment.
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Even after all these years, I still adore Matt. He’s the kind of person you want in your life—nice, funny, well mannered, and relaxed. We all need someone like that to remind us to take a deep breath and not worry about everything in the world. Plus, he’s nice to look at!
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I’m erring on the side of him being an intelligent man. Those running photos do nothing to de-emphasize his forearms which I notice first ever since Michael K pointed out their shortcomings.
Don’t know who the Esquire guy is but he sounds like an idiot as apparently Brooklyn Decker is not dumb either. Maybe he has some adequacy issues.
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And here I thought I couldn’t love him any more…
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i agree, he is basically harmless and very grateful for his very nice life…
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The only thing that bothers me about Matt is how he’s slowly morphing into Tom Cruise. (I mean looks-wise, not personality)
We could use two Matts. Two Toms? That’d be the apocalypse.
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I’ve always liked him & am very happy to read that he has such a healthy attitude about what “fame” means & his obligation to the public (who *makes* the stars).
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I don’t know, I thought the naked bongos thing was quite the screw-up.
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I just gushing all over….he’s such a handsome man.
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McConaughey for HGF?
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@ ally
i thought that was woody h.
besides, whats with w smoking a little weed and playing the bongo?
even if you are against smoking weed that does not constitutue a MAJOR incident, like, say, chasing cars w/ under the influence of booze and coke, or what people call “homewrecking” a la Leann Rhimes
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i love him! hes always so cheerful and down to earth! The lincoln lawyer resurected my love for this guy!
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he’s always seemed to be a nice guy to me. I don’t get whats so bad about smoking weed and playing the bongos!
I don’t think he seems dumb at all despite the fact he seems to have that reputation, maybe it is his accent.
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what can i say …i love the guy.
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Good interview, he comes across as smart and down to earth and for once it’s nice not to have to listen to a celebrity complain how hard it is to be famous because of the paparazzi and loss of privacy.
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@Liana: I’m going to get called weird for this I’m sure, but I don’t like deodorant on a man. If said man has seriously terrible B.O., then fine. Spray something under those arms once in a while to kill that havoc. Otherwise, gimme the pheromones. My husband has the best natural smell. EVER. One whiff of that stuff and my panties rip themselves off.
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Smoking a bit of herb now and then does not a stoner make. He can share my BC bud any day.
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