It takes a lot of courage to turn down roles or offers in exchange for a huge sum of money. However, in Hollywood, we’ve seen a number of examples. Take Conan O’Brien, who was applauded for turning down $28 million. He said no to FOX, wanting to pursue his dream of hosting The Tonight Show.
As for Matthew McConaughey, he also made a bold decision during his career. The actor started to reject multiple offers of a specific genre, and instead, wanted to shift his career in a different direction. The outcome was saying no to millions, while offers weren’t coming in hot.
We’ll take a look at why McConaughey was praised for his decision and how it changed his career.
Matthew McConaughey Changed Career Paths After Rejecting Magnum, P.I. For Dallas Buyers Club
During the early 2000s, Matthew McConaughey was known in Hollywood as the king of rom/com films, and he was making a healthy living agreeing to such roles. However, during the 2010s, Matthew McConaughey decided to switch things up in a major way.
He said no to Hollywood’s $15 million paycheck, but had an explination for why he declined. For the actor, it was time to pivot and take his career in a different direction.
He revealed with The Hollywood Reporter, “Taking a year and a half off and saying no to things in some form or fashion made me a new good idea. Sometimes the target draws the arrow.”
McConaughey would go on to reveal that his son was a major part of the decision-making process.
Dallas Buyers Club producer Robbie Brenner revealed, “He had an illustrious career, and he made a very conscious decision to go in a different direction and turn the ship,” says Brenner.
“When you become a parent, when you have more life experience, you want to put an indelible mark on the world. That is ultimately what Matthew is doing. He’s choosing great directors to work with and creating an amazing filmography for himself.”
In response, Matthew agreed to a $200,000 salary for Dallas Buyers Club, which also came with backend profits. More importantly, the film changed his career, taking home the award for Best Actor at the Oscars.
Matthew McConaughey Also Turned Down $14.5 Million To Star In Another Rom/Com
Matthew McConaughey ended up quitting rom/coms altogether, and received another major offer to star in one. This time, the actor didn’t reveal the role, but he did reveal the offer, which was $14.5 million.
McConaughey admitted that it took awhile for the rom/com scripts to finally stop coming in.
“I remember saying, ‘Eff the bucks, I’m going for the experience,'” McConaughey shared. “I was the go-to rom-com guy. I enjoyed making them, and they paid well. I was leading a successful life as an actor. But there’s a certain buoyancy built into rom-coms that isn’t about hanging your hat on humanity, like a drama is… I wanted to do work that reflected my personal vitality.”
He continues, “I went on a sabbatical away from Hollywood. I said no to every rom-com script that came my way. I turned down one for $14.5 million,” he added. “Word got around Hollywood I’d done that, and they said, ‘McConaughey’s not bluffing. Quit sending him romantic comedies!'”Although Matthew snubbed a lot of offers, he quickly learned that doing things his way would be a struggle.
Matthew McConaughey Revealed Things “Dried Up” When The Offer For Dallas Buyers Club Came In
Alongside Rogert Ebert,Matthew McConaughey discussed his role in “Dallas Buyers Club.” Although the film was a huge critical success, there were no guarantees for the actor. In fact, offers weren’t coming in at the time after he kept turning down roles.
“It went through saying no to things and then it kind of dried up. There was nothing. Then a funny thing happened. It was about two years after that William Friedkin (the director of “Killer Joe”) calls, Stephen Soderbergh (“Magic Mike”) calls, Lee Daniels (“The Paperboy”) calls. I didn’t chase any of those.”
McConaughey continues, “In kind of a weird way that life works, by saying no to those things and sitting in a neutral position, it’s like the target drew the arrow. What I was looking for swung back and showed up. And I was like yep, yep and yep. All of them came to me. Except “Dallas Buyers Club.” “Dallas Buyers Club” was something I’ve had for years. I knew it was what I’d like to do. So, for whatever reason, I attracted those things and then went after them.”
The shooting schedule wasn’t what Matthew was used to either, given the smaller budget. That meant the film needed to be shot with a strict schedule. The actor got out of his comfort zone, though it all worked out in the end and put his career in a completely different direction.
