Matthew McConaughey is currently going through a fluctuating phase in his career, with no significant critical or commercial successes in recent times.
The Oscar-winning actor was riding high with critically acclaimed performances in Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, and the HBO series, True Detective.
McConaughey also appeared in a small yet memorable role in Martin Scorsese’s biographical film, The Wolf of Wall Street.
Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street
The Gold actor began his career in television commercials and later took on background roles in a couple of movies.
McConaughey’s passion for acting sometimes drives him to go to extremes, as he shared in an interview.
Matthew McConaughey Shared His Worst Audition Experience
Forest Whitaker, Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Josh Brolin, Michael B. Jordan, and Jake Gyllenhaal (credits: THR)
In 2013, before winning his Best Actor Oscar, Matthew McConaughey appeared in a Roundtable discussion hosted by The Hollywood Reporter.
The panel also featured great talents, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Jared Leto, Josh Brolin, Michael B. Jordan, and Forest Whitaker.
The actors discussed various aspects of their profession, sharing both the ups and downs.
One of the questions posed by the interviewer was about the worst audition experiences of the actors.
While Brolin recounted his ridiculous audition story for The Fly 2 and Gyllenhaal shared his story of losing The Lord of the Rings role; McConaughey had a rather insane story.
McConaughey shared his audition experience for a Lee Tamahori film, where he literally scared the director. The Magic Mike actor shared with The Hollywood Reporter:
“I knew going out [of the audition], “Man, you kind of gave 80 percent.”
And I got in my truck and turned around — U-turn — came back in, just [walked] right past the secretary, knocked the casting director out of the way, went right up to [Tamahori], and weight-nailed him against the wall.
I grabbed the next guy and put him in the corner and grabbed like a spoon or something. I just wrecked the room and then left. I didn’t hear back from ’em.”
The Killer Joe actor may have aimed for a more realistic audition the second time to impress the filmmaker, but it turned into a violent outburst that backfired.
Notably, Lee Tamahori directed the James Bond film, Die Another Day, and the Vin Diesel starring XXX: State of the Union.
Matthew McConaughey’s Audition That Led To His Breakthrough Role
Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused
While his audition for the Lee Tamahori film didn’t go as planned, Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to approaching the big guys for a role.
His breakthrough came with a role in the coming-of-age comedy film, Dazed and Confused.
At the time, the Mud actor was a film student, and he went up to the casting director Don Philips, whom he had encountered at a hotel, and asked for a role.
McConaughey even convinced the director Richard Linklater who initially didn’t like him. About his audition, the Tropic Thunder actor told The Hollywood Reporter:
“I mean, the first audition I had with Linklater, Dazed and Confused, that was a job interview for me, right? So I tucked in my shirt, man, shaved my hair, pressed my jeans and went in ’cause it was a job interview.
And he was like: ‘Hey, OK. Let your hair grow out, and maybe, uh …’ And I was like, ‘I can do that?’”
The Bernie actor got along so well with his co-stars that his role, David Wooderson, who was supposed to be a minor role, was expanded.
While Dazed and Confused was a box office disappointment, it was a critics’ favorite and gained a cult following in the later years.
The Dark Tower actor also received praise for his part in the film, and an audition tape of the actor for the film later surfaced online.
The Serenity actor is set to take over the lead role in a Yellowstone sequel series after Kevin Costner announced his departure from the series.
In the meantime, fans can enjoy McConaughey’s performance in Dazed and Confused, available for streaming on Paramount Plus.
