Matthew McConaughey won’t do a Magic Mike sequel: ‘he’s done his time’

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When Matthew McConaughey won the Oscar for best actor I was grudgingly ok with it. I still think that Chiwetel Ejiofor’s sublime performance was more deserving, but McConaughey was excellent in Dallas Buyer’s Club. Plus he is just incredible and mesmerizing in True Detective on HBO, with Woody Harrelson. If you haven’t seen that show you’re really missing out. If you’re prone to marathoning like I am, you should wait until you have time. This is a series that you can’t put down, that will keep you from sleeping until you find out what happens. (There are only 8 episodes.)

1BBA222EMcConaughey has proven himself as a serious actor and he’s put his romcom past behind him. He’s remained grateful for his career and has never bad mouthed his past movies, though. I recently heard an interview with McConaughey on NPR’s Fresh Air in which he described his romcom roles as easy and “bouyant.” He said he tried to hold off on those roles for a while to find something that would challenge him:

That’s great to have something you feel like you could do tomorrow. It’s great to have your so-called fastball and you like doing them. There’s a lightness that you are able to keep and maintain in those that they need because they need a buoyancy, and I called them a Saturday character, the romantic comedy, it’s a Saturday character. You’re not supposed to get, you know, Hamletian about it. You’re not supposed to go deep. You go deep on those, you sink the ship. I had fun doing that and also trying to do those without emasculating the male, which can be done in those romantic comedies often. But I just felt like I could do them tomorrow or the next day. So I said I want to wait. I don’t know what I want to do. I want to wait till something really turns me on – moves my floor

[From NPR.org]

So McConaughey moved on, showed his acting chops in roles like DBC, Mud, and Wolf of Wall Street and the rest is history.

This makes me wonder: would McConaughey revisit his romcom past for the right role or the right amount of cash? Star Magazine says that he’s not on board for the Magic Mike sequel, and that he’s worked too hard to go back to playing a stripper. McConaughey might consider it if the money is right though:

Sources say that Matthew [McConaughey] told costar and producer Channing Tatum not to include him in the sequel Channing’s currently writing.

“Matthew feels that he’s done his time,” a source tells Star. “Taking his shirt off is what got him to the forefront of Hollywood, but he is adamant that since he won an Academy Award, his acting skills should get him jobs.”

But don’t cry into your dollar bills just yet, ladies. “If big money is offered, there’s always a chance,” says the insider. “But his role will be drastically smaller than before.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, March 24, 2014]

This is in Star, so I’m not going to shade McConaughey for allegedly holding out for more money. If this is true it makes me sad. He was the highlight of Magic Mike and I’d love to see him reprise his character. It also seems unlike him to pass up this role. McConaughey isn’t one to take himself too seriously or to care much if he’s caught with his shirt off. He’s shown that he can do incredibly meaty roles. He’s versatile and established enough to play a strip club owner and not worry about ending up in a romcom rut. Plus I really want to see him do beefcake with his shirt off again.

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53 Responses to “Matthew McConaughey won’t do a Magic Mike sequel: ‘he’s done his time’”

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  1. David99 says:

    True Detective is awesome!

    • Tulip Garden says:

      Agree! McCona….hey 🙂 killed it as Rust Cohle.

    • Candy Love says:

      From what I read McConaugehe and Woody Harrelson while not be returning next season.

      • Bridget says:

        They were never intended to come back, True Detective is supposed to be an anthology series. It’ll be entirely new actors next season.

    • littlestar says:

      True Detective was wonderful! I did not think Matthew McConaughey was a very good actor until I watched that show. Wow. He blew me away. For once I could forget it was Matthew McConaughey and actually BELIEVE the character he was portraying. Just an incredible show and definitely recommend watching it to others who haven’t seen it yet!

    • Dreamyk says:

      Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson should be on the receiving end of some Emmy’s soon. Phenomenal acting. Sublime. Awards for everyone!

      There are some actors who can disappear into roles: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger et al. There are some actors where you never fully buy into the role they are selling..Brad Pitt is one of them for me (although I do believe Tyler Durden was an exception) as is Tom Cruise. Matthew and Woody inhabited their roles so thoroughly that you were able to lose yourself in the creeptastic mystery.

  2. eliza says:

    Ugh! In my opinion Magic Mike was THE WORST movie I have seen in recent years. The acting was sooooo bad from everyone it was embarrassing to watch. I know I am in the minority in that opinion but there you have it. A sequel scares me.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      i never understand the buzz around McConaughey in Magic Mike (honestly the actors aren’t good in it except Channing Tatum very natural) but the movie is very watchable and the strip scene/music are great

      • kimbers says:

        Never seen MM, but happy to seen him get better rolls and leave some cheese for new faces who need the platform to gain exposure.

    • Dizzle says:

      I haven’t even seen it because I’m too embarassed to watch it!

      • Narak says:

        The worst part was the stupid girlfriend lame-o plot line. The guys were great- it’s a movie about male strippers for a change!! Awesome in my books. Good fun.

    • lucy2 says:

      I thought it was really horrible too – the acting, the “storyline”, all of it. Honestly I think he’d be wise to avoid it, he’s moved to a whole new level in his career and certainly must have better options. Maybe do a quick cameo to be a friend to CT, but that first movie was so bad he shouldn’t waste any time or momentum filming a role for the sequel.

    • Boodiba says:

      Ya I hated that movie too. I knew it’d suck but I was with one of my best friends & it was her turn to pick the film that weekend.

    • Evie says:

      The idea is to watch it with the sound OFF! Sit back and enjoy the view 🙂

    • Pandy says:

      I don’ t think his looks came back after his weight loss for DBC. He’s not pretty enough to be romcom candy anymore (never mind a hot stripper).

    • Nerd Alert says:

      Yep, I turned it off halfway through. Dull as hell.

  3. smee says:

    MM is truly the dark horse of H’wood. I think everyone wrote him off as a pretty boy, but he’s proven himself to be a really great actor and very adept at picking the right roles.

  4. ugh says:

    He is so cocky!

    • V4Real says:

      Magic Mike was horrible and had he said he wouldn’t do it before he got his Oscar I would disagree with you about him being cocky. IMO, now that he’s an Oscar winner, films like Magic Mike is beneath him. I think some actors actually believe that if you win an Oscar, The Academy now considesr you a serious actor and you have their stamp of approval. I believe those Oscars are brought and paid for. It’s all a part of the political game.

      BTW True Detective is an awesome series he is in and I hope that show continues.

      • Bridget says:

        I thought Magic Mike was great. Funny and sleazy and scrappy. And it may have been a stripper movie, but MM was across the board acclaimed and McC’s role was at one point in the running for an Oscar nom. So no, probably not beneath him to return to the movie that helped put him on that Oscar course.

      • ugh says:

        No, I’m talking about his attitude in general. IDC about Magic Mike. And yes, I agree, True Detective is awesome.
        But Matthew is cocky and smug imo.

      • V4Real says:

        Bridget that’s just my opinion, not a fact. I’m going to hold to it just like I’m sure you will hold to yours.

      • Bridget says:

        @v4real: Congratulations on that.

  5. MonicaQ says:

    There’s a Channing Tatum ban in our house (to live harmoniously, everyone gets to pick one artist, one sports team, and one actor we’d rather not deal with and after “The Vow” my brother picked him) so I’ve never seen magic mike. I’ve heard everything from God awful to delicious mind rot.

  6. FingerBinger says:

    I seriously doubt he’s “put his romcom past behind him.” I think he’ll go back to them. They just won’t have Kate Hudson or J-Lo in them.

    • Tapioca says:

      It all depends on whether he’s smart with money or ends up having to do dross like Nic Cage or Al Pacino because he’s broke. Avoid a divorce and he may well be lucky enough never to work with Goldie Hawn’s daughter again!

  7. qtpi says:

    I bet his wife wishes he would stick to the beefcake roles. Just watched DBC this weekend and it gave me nightmares. So scary seeing a well known actor do that to his body.

  8. manta says:

    “So McConaughey moved on, showed his acting chops in roles like DBC, Mud, and Wolf of Wall Street and the rest is history.”
    That’s what I never get about what’s written about this guy. I never saw his romcoms,so I have no opinion. But wasn’t anybody working in Hollywood or writing in the media today born or old enough to watch movies in the 90’s?
    Because,I, a total outsider from the movie world, could perfectly tell he had acting chops watching Lone Star,Amistad,Contact or Ed TV. So maybe people who are supposed to earn their living this business were able to spot it too, and their choice to gamble on him didn’t exactly come out of the blue.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      i still remerber how his agent in 90’s bought him as the new Paul Newman in some LA billboard

      actually he’s a better actor now than in 90’s

    • Sixer says:

      I am the same. I’ve never willingly watched a rom-com in my life. So I had no idea MM was in any and all I knew about him as an actor was his early stuff.

    • littlestar says:

      I will admit that I enjoyed a lot of his rom-coms. He’s charming in them, and they are just plain old fun! Lol. Haven’t seen Magic Mike though, so can’t speak about that one (although I know it’s a stripper movie, not a rom-com).

      One of my favourite MM movies of all time though is Contact. Love that movie.

      • Esmom says:

        I loved Contact, so glad to hear that someone else did, too! Everyone else I know hated it.

        At the time it came out I recommended it to everyone I knew and a few who saw it hated it and blamed me for wasting their time. I was shocked because I thought it, and the performances, was mesmerizing.

      • lucy2 says:

        I remember liking Contact too, but I can see why some might not.
        I don’t think a rom com now and then is a bad thing, but he had a streak where all of his mainstream movies were rom coms.
        That one with Sarah Jessica Parker was one of the worst movies ever.

  9. Marianne says:

    I think he will eventually do a rom-com again. I think he just wants to hold off for awhile. He’s finally being taken seriously, and I think he wants to definitely cement that image.

  10. tifzlan says:

    True Detective started out strong but the finale was a disappointment.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      i stopped the serie at the 4th episode: i’m tired of polar stories on ritual rape/murders (i read many thriller or polar books also )

  11. Tig says:

    It always surprises me that “The Lincoln Lawyer” gets left off the serious movie list. He was great in that as well.

  12. Maria says:

    Meh, it’s Star so who knows, but I don’t blame him if he said no…

    It has nothing to do worth cockiness and everything to do with opportunity (I think). He’s finally being taken seriously so I don’t blame him if he wants meatier roles.

    He now has the clout to pick and choose as he’s being taken seriously, plus, he’s never come off arrogant to me.

    He’s a humble guy and good people-met him a few years ago in Austin (we were both in line at the store), friendly as could be, made small chit chat with people coming up to him and took pictures. I asked him if he gets annoyed with it at times, his reply: it comes with the territory and I’m a lucky man. I just smiled and wished him a good day.

    There were no cameras, wasn’t an act, it’s just who he is.

    • Mom2two says:

      Maria, I am glad you are confirming what I hoped was true about him, that he is a nice guy.
      I am not sure that I buy the Star story. I just wonder if he were to do the MM sequel, would he be able to put the weight back on to get in that kind of shape for the role? It seems like he is having trouble putting the weight back on since DBC.

    • Jh says:

      I love that he was so gracious! Makes him even more attractive 🙂

  13. Bridget says:

    It may have been a stripper movie, but that was the movie that helped open those doors for him because it was a great movie. Magic Mike wasn’t exactly Showgirls. It was Soderberg for goodness sake, and walked the fine lne between critical and commercial success. If they want him back, even for just a cameo, he should go back, because MM and Mud helped him get to that Oscar.

  14. Tiffany says:

    I think he would turn to down because he would never get his body back to true form for the role. I think that he destroyed his body for DBC and he would bounce back from that.

  15. Welldun says:

    He just doesn’t want to get his bits waxed again.

    PS The way Chippendales dance is much sexier than what I saw in Magic Mike

  16. TheCountess says:

    He doesn’t want to revise in a role in the sequel to a crappy film about male strippers now that he an Oscar? Smart guy.

  17. taxi says:

    I’ll watch his movies but I’ll never listen to another award acceptance speech from him, after this year’s Oscar.

  18. Cerebralmind says:

    If you watched Magic Mike hoping to see Academy Award winning performances then something is truly wrong with you, lol. I can only speak for myself, but I watched this movie for two reasons only. Reason #1 – Joe Manganiello. Reason #2 – Alex Pettyfer. That’s it. Hey, what can I say…I can appreciate a good – looking man as eye candy and that is what Magic Mike was to me (and my eyes have a “sweet tooth”).

  19. joan says:

    I think we’re all ready for something else — a well-written, “mature romcom.” Or drama. Yeah, an old-fashioned love story. Whatever happened to them?

    Matthew and Sandra Bullock.

    Or MM and Anjelina Jolie.

    Even MM and an older woman, Emma Thompson maybe.

    Just a love story. With some passion. I can see it.

  20. Isabelle says:

    After his great performance in True Detective and this summers Interstellar he’ll probably be able to choose what he wants. Loved him in True Detective.