The movie role Matthew McConaughey was never meant to get
While Matthew McConaughey is now one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood, in the early to mid-1990s, he was just another unknown performer trying to make it in the movie business. With only a few acting credits to his name, one role changed his life for good.
By the early ’90s, McConaughey was only just getting started. Getting as many acting credits as possible by doing TV commercials and music videos, his first feature film break came in 1993. Dazed and Confused has gone on to become a cult classic film, but it flopped upon release. The cast at the time, starring Ben Affleck alongside McConaughey, were all relatively unknown. It was only in the future, when fame came calling, that the stoner movie saw an increased popularity.
However, he kept going. Throughout 1994 and ’95, McConaughey starred in a handful of movies, including Angels in the Outfield, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Glory Days. None of them were major roles or really major hits, as the actor kept pushing to try and land his big break.
Eventually, it came, but in an incredibly unlikely way. By the middle of the decade, the actor bagged an audition for Joel Schumacher’s new film, A Time To Kill. The director had a number of successes under his belt, including The Wiz, The Lost Boys and Batman Forever, so getting a chance to audition for him was a big deal for McConaughey.
The role was only small, however. Initially, the actor was called in to audition for a minor role of a Ku Klux Klan member. But he had his sights set higher.
With a hefty dose of confidence, McConaughey impressed everyone at his audition and then told the director that he wanted to be considered for the main role of Jake Brigance. The response wasn’t exactly encouraging as the director laughed in his face. “He starts laughing, he goes, ‘I think that’s a great idea, but let me tell you—that is never happening,’” McConaughey told the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
However, McConaughey’s gutsy announcement turned out to be prophetic. Even after laughing him out of the room, the actor’s audition stuck in Schumacher’s mind. Eventually, he called him back for a second chance.
“It stuck with him, and he called me a few weeks later and said, ‘I would like to screen test you for the role of Jake Brigance,’” the actor recalled.
Schumacher seemed to have a soft spot for the newcomer. He chose an obscure time and place for the audition, knowing that being seen leaving an unsuccessful audition could taint McConaughey’s reputation. He gave the actor a chance to read for the character but tried to keep him humble, again implying that it would never happen.
It’s a tale of persistence. Throughout Schumacher’s many comments that he would never get the role, McConaughey’s drive didn’t let up. In the end, the decision to cast the actor all came down to chance. Sandra Bullock, who had already been signed onto the film, had major success in While You Were Sleeping, meaning that the studio was more likely to take a risk on a newcomer, now Bullock was a known actor.
Despite saying it would never happen, Schumacher took a chance on McConaughey, offering him the role. Even as the media scrutinised the director for casting an unknown actor in a major role, McConaughey’s performance quickly silenced critics.
When A Time To Kill was released in 1996, the actor shot to notoriety. It grossed over $108million in the US and topped the box office on the opening weekend. McConaughey was no longer an unknown actor and suddenly had offers knocking down his door. Soon after, he was the Hollywood A-list heartthrob he’s known as today.