Matthew McConaughey's Father Inspired His Role in 'Gold': 'He Loved a Shady Deal'

— -- Matthew McConaughey said his father-- and many of his dad’s business partners he remembers from his childhood -- inspired his character and actions in his upcoming film, “Gold.”

“He’s a great American archetype,” McConaughey, 47, said of his role as Kenny Wells, an unlucky businessman who travels to Indonesia in search of gold after having a dream.

“A lot of my father was in this role. A lot of the people my father dealt with [are] in this role,” he explained on “Good Morning America” today. “I remember my dad would take me around the country when I was 12, and we’d go office to office to collect from people that owed him money.

“When you bring your 12-year-old son, you shame some people into paying you back. And also, he loved a shady deal. He’d much rather overpay for a hot watch behind an abandoned strip mall than he would go and actually buy the watch. It didn’t matter if he got took or whatever. He loved it.”

The Texas native also had to gain 40 pounds for the role, which he said was “more fun” than losing weight for a film, allowing himself to eat “whatever, whenever” he wanted.

“Anything I wanted to eat or drink for six months, at any time of day,” the actor recalled of his thought process. “Say, ‘Yes,’ and if I second-guess myself, you have to have double.”

His favorite indulgence?

“Mainly cheeseburgers and beer,” he added. “I never got tired of it. I thought I was going to get lethargic. I thought I wasn’t going to sleep well, I thought I was going to lose energy. And I learned another lesson on this thing: The only reason you get tired of indulging like that is when you think of quitting.

“I mean, I didn’t even take the stairs to the second floor. It was fun.”

“Gold” hits theaters nationwide Jan. 27.