Category - Entertainment
The $15M Role Matthew McConaughey Turned Down
Matthew McConaughey has starred in plenty of acclaimed roles throughout his career, making him one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood able to attract a massive payday for his work. Nearly two decades ago, he had the chance to make nearly $15 million with a single role, but he opted to turn it down. Now, he's looking back on his decision.
The Interstellar star looked back on this transformational moment in his career in a Nov. 11 appearance on the Modern Wisdom podcast. While being a massive movie star is great, the pursuit of money isn't the only thing he was concerned with.
"I’ve met many very rich men who’ve chased that dollar to be successful and to be relevant for having the most money," he said, noting that many times actors can "sacrifice quality for quantity." For him, it wasn't about the cash, but being proud of your output, even if you aren't making as much money.
He went on to reflect on his decision to pivot from romantic movies to dramatic roles in the late 2000s. In late 2008, he was offered to lead a big-screen remake of Magnum, P.I. for a cool $15 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. At the time, he was a new father, and with his life and career at a crossroads, he opted to take a chance on himself and step back from the industry for the better part of two years.
Ultimately, it was a move that paid off. "Taking a year and a half off and saying no to things in some form or fashion made me a new good idea," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Sometimes the target draws the arrow."
"It was a big risk," he later confessed on Modern Wisdom, acknowledging that taking so much time off could've been "a one-way ticket to a dead end in Hollywood."
His prolonged absence eventually became a draw to hire him. "I’d been gone long enough to become a new good idea. 'Where’s McConaughey?' Plus, he said no to that $14.5 million offer three months ago,'" he described. "You don’t say no to a $14.5 million offer.”
McConaughey's next film, The Rivals of Amziah King, is expected to arrive next year.