We met with an Academy Award winning actor Matthew McConaughey in New York.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF GENTLEMAN AND WHAT IS THE BEST EXAMPLE FOR YOU OF WHO IS A GENTLEMAN?
Matthew: Oh, I'd say my definition of gentleman I mean I could go on and on. There's a long definition of what you consider a gentleman but I think one thing that I've found consistent with the gentlemen I've got is that they don't intrude or trespass on someone else's property, even personal space. They're not looking outside of themselves to get approval and identity of who they are and one of my favorite gentlemen when you ask him, hey, tell me about her, tell me about him. If they're not in the room he'll say that is not my story to tell. Very. Okay. He didn't need and he is a guy who has so many juicy stories where he could be the belle of the ball in the room and everyone's favorite person, most popular at the moment but he will never do it at the expense of someone else. He'll say it's not my story to tell. A very gentlemanly thing.
IS YOUR WIFE THIS REALLY STRONG WOMAN THAT WE SEE IN THE MEDIA, IS SHE LIKE AN EQUAL, DO YOU SOMETIMES FIND YOURSELF DEFERRING TO HER? HOW DO YOU HANDLE ALL OF THAT?
Matthew: Different – different things, different competent in different ways and we try to team up on those, try not to also sometimes you're doing the same. You both may be really good or feel very competent at the same thing and it's good to double team a situation. It's also really nice to go hey, here's what I'm really competent at and what I love to do and here's what you're really competent at and which you love to do and if we double team, if we don't do the same thing you do that really well, watch my back I'll do this really well, I'll watch your back then we can even get more of what we want done. Yeah, there's that line behind every great man there's a great woman for sure and I know my wife challenges me often and it's not always easy but she's usually right.
YOU TURNED 50. WHAT IS THAT LIKE? WHAT STAGE IN YOUR LIFE ARE YOU AT NOW? HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE?
Matthew: We went away to a certain desert, had 100 my closest friends over the last 50 years should average out to 2 friends a year.
YOU HAVE 100 CLOSE FRIENDS?
Matthew: Yeah (laughter) I didn't know either until we tallied it up and we flew them to this place and told none of them where they were going, just told them what to wear, what the weather would be like and kidnapped them for 88 hours and had a wonderful time. I feel wonderful. I'm very honored to be – to say I've been here 50 years, to know I've been here 50 years. I don't feel like what I thought I'd feel like at 50. I don't look like what I thought I'd look like at 50. I feel good. I'm as happy as I've ever been and challenging myself in things as much as ever and got a lot to – when I look back at the last 50 some things I'd do different but for the most part I'll take where I am.
WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO MATTHEW?
Matthew: Attribute what to?
THE FACT THAT YOU LOOK YOUNGER THAN THE EARLIER GENERATION?
Matthew: I've learned how to eat healthier if we have the ability to eat healthier because not everyone can have access to go take care of themselves like we can but it's also I don't – I think stress is a biggie. I don't stress about things that I really can't do anything about and so I think I've been pretty good and people I have seen that are healthy and at older age I find that consistently is they worry about the right things. They don't worry about the wrong things and I sleep great and I sleep long.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A THOUGHT TO SAY I WANT TO HAVE A MORE PRIVATE LIFE, A QUIETER LIFE?
Matthew: I don't want to retire. I like creating and I don't, I mean, I'm not sure as hell not tired. I am not looking forward. I have no desire at all to go play golf every day.I have no desire at all to get a yacht and live on it. I mean, I'm quite enjoying entertaining myself writing and such like that but no, the thought of retiring thankfully I'm happy to say is something that doesn't interest me at all. It actually sounds more daunting, yeah.
I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO TEACHING IN A WAY. I WANT TO ASK WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER OVER THE YEARS THAT YOU LEARNED AS A TEACHER AND WHEN YOU THINK
BACK OF BEING A STUDENT WHAT DO YOU THINK OH MY GOODNESS NOW I UNDERSTAND MY TEACHER BETTER. HOW WERE YOU BASICALLY AS A STUDENT?
Matthew: I was always a good student. I got into film school based on a very high GPA. I was a studier. I was a straight A guy through all my schooling through college.... then I get on “Dazed And Confused” in the summer between '92 and '93 and I get to work on a film set for 3 weeks, that 3 weeks I learned more about film-making than in 2 years of film school so part of what I'm working on with my class and what it's about and what working on the entire College Of Communication at University of Texas on is more experiential learning meaning in the College of Communication we've got journalists, advertisers and film-makers, writers, producers and such I think it's time to start cross pollinating those classes. Everyone's in the storytelling business if you're a journalist, advertising, film-maker you're in the storytelling business so let's get these people working together. Let's also if we have a protest on campus at the university tower if you're in the journalism class get the hell out of the class and go cover it. That should be your class so I'm working on the University of Texas is in Austin. I want in the future the City of Austin to be the extended backyard of the university and I want the university to be the extended backyard of the city meaning the city with engineers and stuff and before we go looking outside of our city let's look to our talent that we have right here going to this university in our backyard and so that's a relationship that I'm working on.
TR
