After making his acting debut in the 1990s, Matthew spent the 2000s starring in an incredible run of rom-coms, including The Wedding Planner (2001) with Jennifer Lopez, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) with Kate Hudson, and Failure to Launch (2006) alongside Sarah Jessica Parker.
His roles in those movies brought him global fame and success. However, in a new interview, the 54-year-old revealed that period left him questioning whether he even wanted to act anymore.
Matthew said he was finding it hard to break away from the rom-com bubble, so he decided to “leave Hollywood for two years.”
Looking back, the dad-of-three described this as a “scary” time in his life. He even recalled having discussions with his wife, Camila Alves-McConaughey, about embarking on a whole new career path.
As we now know, Matthew eventually returned to Hollywood in 2011 and, after taking on more serious roles, embarked on a period known as “The McConaissance.”
Last year, Matthew told Chelsea Handler that he personally coined the term “McConaissance” to help rebrand the new act of his career, comparing it to an “album cover” or “song title.”