The character arc of Matthew McConaughey
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 4 November 1969 in Uvalde, Texas. Between then and now sit the University of Texas at Austin from 1989 to 1993, Dazed and Confused in 1993, A Time to Kill in 1996, a decade of romantic comedies from 2001, a change of direction from 2011, Dallas Buyers Club in 2013, the Academy Award for best actor in 2014, Greenlights on 20 October 2020 and his foundation. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Matthew McConaughey?
He said no for two years.
He was born in Uvalde, Texas in 1969 and took a degree in radio, television and film at the University of Texas at Austin between 1989 and 1993. He broke through in Dazed and Confused in 1993, while he was still finishing, and became a leading man with A Time to Kill in 1996.
Then came about a decade of romantic comedies, from roughly 2001 to 2009. They paid extremely well and they were entirely reliable, which is the trap. What he did about it is the reason this line is drawn here: he stopped taking them. He has described turning down the work that was being offered and waiting, for around two years, until different work arrived. Two years of saying no, with no guarantee that anything better would ever be offered, is a long time in a career that runs on being current.
It arrived. From 2011 the parts changed completely, and in 2013 he played Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, for which he won the Academy Award for best actor in 2014. The period is widely called the McConaissance, which is a slightly silly word for a serious decision. Greenlights, his memoir, was published on 20 October 2020, built from thirty five years of his own diaries. He runs the just keep livin foundation, which works with teenagers on active lives and healthy choices.
The moments
Matthew McConaughey's timeline.
The 1990s
Dazed and Confused
Milestone, and it changed everything. A breakthrough at twenty three, in the year he finished his degree.
A leading man
Milestone, and it changed everything. A leading part at twenty six, three years after the first film.
The 2000s
The comfortable decade
Milestone, and it changed everything. Nine years of work that paid extremely well and was entirely reliable. That is the trap.
The 2010s
Keep taking them, or wait
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: turn the work down, taken, or keep taking the offers. He won the Academy Award for best actor in 2014.
He stopped saying yes
Setback, and it changed everything. Two years of turning down paying work, with no guarantee anything better would arrive.
Different work arrives
Milestone, and it changed everything. The parts changed completely, which is what he had been waiting for.
Dallas Buyers Club
Milestone, and it changed everything. The part the two years of waiting was for.
The Academy Award
Milestone, and it changed everything. An Oscar, four years after he stopped accepting the work that was easy to get.
just keep livin
Milestone, and it changed his direction. A foundation for teenagers, named after a line from his first film.
The 2020s
Greenlights
Milestone, and it changed everything. A memoir built out of thirty five years of his own diaries.
Still working
Milestone. Thirty two years after the first film, and still taking parts.
The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is the clearest demonstration in this gallery of a specific and difficult skill: saying no to good work, for a long time, in order to be available for better.
What he wrote
Books by Matthew McConaughey
- 2020
Greenlights
His memoir, built out of thirty five years of his own diaries, published on 20 October 2020.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
His turned down two years of paying work to wait for the right kind. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Matthew McConaughey: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Matthew McConaughey's character arc?
What is Matthew McConaughey's McConaissance?
What did Matthew McConaughey win an Oscar for?
What is Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey?
Where did Matthew McConaughey study?
What is Matthew McConaughey's foundation?
What was Matthew McConaughey's first film?
Where does this timeline of Matthew McConaughey's life come from?
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Sources
- Matthew McConaughey, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, best actor, 2014.
- Publisher records for Greenlights, 20 October 2020.