We Go Deep Inside Matthew McConaughey's Soul
The actor bares his Texan soul at SXSW in his homebase of Austin.
March 11, 2013— -- Matthew McConaughey has been working hard for the past year and it shows - not only in his critically-acclaimed performances and striking weight loss, but also in his overall demeanor. He's still as charming as ever (it's hard to dislike a good looking man with a Texan accent), but now he's added a new, calmer-than-thou, "wise elder" vibe to his persona. Maybe it's his extremely successful 2012, maybe it's fatherhood, or maybe he is just happy to be in Texas, but whatever the reason, McConaughey is definitely happy.
We spoke to him in Austin at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival on the red carpet of the premiere of his new film "Mud," co-starring Reese Witherspoon, about what it means to be a Texan and his breakthrough film "Dazed and Confused" being inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame.
"Texas has a lot of soul," the 43-year-old told us. "And if you are aTexan you got a lot of soul. The place kind of demands it of you."McConaughey went to college right here in Austin and is based here withwife Camila Alves and their three young children. He landed hisbreakthrough role as David Wooderson in the 1993 comedy "Dazed andConfused," which was shot and takes place in Austin. This year, the AustinFilm Society celebrated the 13th annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards byinducting the film -- so there's a lot of Texas in the air for McConaugheyat this year's SXSW.
"Mud" is about two young boys who stumble upon a fugitive (McConaughey)trying to reunite with an old love (Witherspoon). The film will be intheaters on April 26, 2013.
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