Matthew McConaughey says there’s an ‘initiation process’ in Hollywood

Matthew McConaughey made his way into Hollywood 30 years ago, but had some highs and lows along the way.

In an interview with People, McConaughey shared that there’s an “initiation process” in the industry, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I, like anyone, have had my ups and downs,” he told the outlet.

“My star meter has been higher, my star meter has been lower. I’ve won Oscars. I’ve been arrested playing the bongos naked.”  

The actor continued, “Overall, I believe there’s been inherent goodwill for me, but it did not keep me from figuring out my own initiation into the industry.”

The Texas native went on to explain that after having skin in the Hollywood game, he wondered why nobody gave him tips and tricks earlier on.

“There’s a lot of things you learn 10 years after being in Hollywood and you go, ‘Well, why didn’t they tell me that in year two?’ Because there’s an initiation process,” he told the outlet.

“There just is. You can get tips, but you’ve got to figure out the BS, cut the wheat from the chaff along the way. “

Knowing what he knows now, McConaughey would not give his younger self any guidance. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t tell him,” he said.

“I’d let him figure it out the same way I did. Take feeder roads off the highway. Get confused, get frustrated, feel lost, and overcome it.”

Over the past 30 years, McConaughey has taken on a number of Hollywood hits.

He told People that he still never gets tired of fans approaching him about a specific role.

The actor is famously known for the iconic line, “alright, alright, alright,” from the 1993 classic “Dazed and Confused.”

McConaughey finds pride in his fans approaching him about the line because it was not scripted, and he wasn’t meant to even be in the scene.

“I had no idea that that line would precede me for the rest of my life, and people ask me all the time, ‘Are you tired of that preceding you?’ And I’m like, ‘Hell, no!’ That [came] out of my mouth in a scene that I was never supposed to be in, that was never written,” he explained.

McConaughey continued, “Every time I hear it, I’m like, ‘That was the first three words you said ever on film 30-something years ago.’ I take it as a compliment.”

While the “Fool’s Gold” star is proud of his accomplishments in Hollywood, he finds the most joy in raising his three children: sons Levi, 15, and Livingston, 11, and daughter Vida, 14.

McConaughey shares his children with his wife, Camila Alves, whom he married in 2012.

He told People that he “can’t think of anything more important” than being a father.

“Having children, I know, has made me a better artist and a better actor,” McConaughey explained.

“Kids see things for the first time all the time. Their questions are innocent. I’ve become a better storyteller because I have kids.”